$500,000 Secured for Flood Forecasting in West Maui

A $500,000 award has been issued to the Pacific Island Ocean Observing System at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa to improve forecasting of storm surges and high tide events in West Maui.

King Tide at Olowalu (5.26.17) PC: Asa Ellison

The funding, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was announced today by US Senator Brian Schatz who serves as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Schatz said the funding will help to better forecast these events and ensure that communities in West Maui and across Hawaiʻi are better prepared to plan for and respond to extreme weather.

The Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System or PacIOOS  program at UH is based within the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology and aims to promote a safe, healthy and productive ocean and resilient coastal zone by collecting real-time data on ocean conditions, forecasting future events, and developing user-friendly tools to access this information.