PORT ANGELES — A test of the tsunami alert system went off without a hitch Wednesday for the Clallam and Jefferson county emergency management divisions.
In Clallam County, the test was an internal exercise that did not sound tsunami warning sirens in marinas or coastal communities, according to Division Manager Joe Ciarlo.
In Jefferson County, however, emergency officials tested the siren at the Port Townsend Boat Haven.
“We got the information,” said Ciarlo.
“We saw the alert come across the TV; the emergency alert system took over.
“The communications network worked.”
An actual tsunami on June 14 did not trigger sirens and radio receivers in low-lying coastal communities like LaPush and Neah Bay.
That wave, produced by an earthquake off the coast of Northern California, produced a surge only three-quarters of an inch high.
Before they knew the size of the wave, however, emergency responders went door to door to notify residents of LaPush and Neah Bay.
Olympic National Park rangers were able to warn campers at the Kalaloch campground, but they had no time to notify people in campgrounds near Lake Ozette.
Officials traced the communications problem to a telephone glitch at the National Weather Service in Seattle.
