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Civil Air Patrol Trains for a Tsunami

March 25, 2022

Civil Air Patrol Takes to the Skies to exercise their Airborne Public Address System

In the rugged Northern California coast beachgoers arrive at a beach, blissfully unaware that an earthquake has struck 400 miles off the coast causing a tsunami that will be inbound within hours. Meanwhile hikers in a remote coastal area are also unaware of the danger of the approaching tsunami. The National Weather Service has initiated the Emergency Alert System to alert residents, but some beachgoers, hikers, and residents along the shore will miss those alerts.

Fortunately, this is just a hypothetical scenario, and our beachgoers and hikers were not in any real danger. This is when the Civil Air Patrol’s Airborne Public Address System (APAS) becomes a vital resource for the National Weather Service to alert coastal residents unable to receive the Emergency Alert System warnings.

The APAS system is composed of two powerful speakers, a battery, control box and an MP3 player. A custom baggage door with cutouts for the speakers completes the system. Crews will install the system in about 30 minutes and be headed towards the coast shortly thereafter.

The APAS was designed to provide messages directing the public to act who might not otherwise receive emergency alerts. In addition to the airborne system, counties and the National Weather Service utilized the Emergency Alert System, telephone notification systems, a network of coastal sirens, law-enforcement, and other emergency services personnel to notify residents to get away from the coast towards higher ground. 

According to Mr. Ryan Aylward of the National Weather Service “A tsunami could occur along the California coast caused by a large earthquake anywhere in the Pacific Ocean. A tsunami occurring in Japan would give approximately 11 hours of advance warning or five hours from Alaska or Hawaii, however an earthquake just off the California coast would provide only minutes of warning until the first wave arrives.”

To help alert coastal residents during an actual tsunami, the National Weather Service conducts Tsunami Preparedness Week yearly to educate residents and visitors along the coast to one of the varied methods they may receive warning of an impending tsunami.

At 11:00 AM, Wednesday, March 23, 2022 the National Weather Service Eureka activated a test of the Civil Air Patrol airborne public address system (APAS) as part of their Tsunami Warning Communications Test. California Wing of the Civil Air Patrol launched two aircraft over Northern California and our distinctive Red, White, and Blue aircraft provided the broadcasted message to the Northern California Coast of “this is a test of the Civil Air Patrol public address system".

California Wing dispatched aircraft and crews from Concord and Sacramento to fly the Del Norte and Humboldt counties coastlines with the aerial messaging system. These aircraft flew over the coast at 1,000 feet (about the height of the Empire State Building) and 90-95 knots while blasting the test message to all within range of the powerful loudspeaker system. Aircrews consisted of a Mission Pilot and a Mission Observer/APAS Operator.

As APAS aircraft fly low over very remote coastlines that are too far from our radio repeater sites, communications become a challenge. To ensure that the aircraft can maintain radio contact with the virtual mission base, a second aircraft launched from Sacramento Executive airport and functioned as a radio relay platform between the APAS aircraft and the mission base.

Civil Air Patrol Lt. Col. Noel Luneau, the incident commander said, “that it is important to exercise this system regularly so both the crews and the public react quickly and appropriately when a real-world emergency occurs.”


Lt. Col. Randy Pesce briefs the weather in Del Norte and Humboldt counties prior to take-off from Concord.
Photo by 2d. Lt. David McCrossan.


Lt. Col. Chris Suter inspects the Airborne Public Address System prior to take-off from Concord.
Photo by 2d. Lt. David McCrossan.

Tagged As: Emergency Services Tsunami

For More Information:

CAP Contact: 
Lt Col Noel Luneau
e-mail: noel.luneau@cawg.cap.gov

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