Contact Information
Address:
910 South Felton St
Palmer, AK 99645-6552
United StatesPhone:
907-745-4212
National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC)
Each Friday, the NTWC offers three tours at 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm. Please contact NTWC at 1-907-745-4212 if visitor groups will exceed 6 people. Government issued photo ID will be required to enter the facility.
The Palmer Observatory, under the auspices of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, was established in Palmer, Alaska in 1967 as a direct result of the great Alaskan earthquake that occurred in Prince William Sound on March 27, 1964. This earthquake alerted State and Federal officials that a facility was necessary to provide timely and effective tsunami warnings and earthquake information to the coastal areas of Alaska. In 2003, a new Tsunami Warning Center building was constructed in the yard of the original building. This new facility was the first LEED certified building in the state of Alaska, and within the U.S. Department of Commerce. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is granted by the U.S. Green Building Council, and awards environmentally sensitive construction practices. This new facility provides upgraded power and communications capability, as well as office space for the expanded staff, assuring that the center will continue to provide quality products to the public well into the future.
Following the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami in late 2004, the NTWC expanded its scope to the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Atlantic coast of Canada.