Tsunami Test Message Failure

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii issued an unscheduled test message for the Caribbean Sea and Adjacent Regions Tsunami Warning System (CARIBE-EWS) at 16:40:36 UTC 4 February 2012. It appears to have taken just under four minutes to get to me by email at 11:44:20 UTC. This indicates a failure of the system as the message took more than a few minutes to arrive. Most of the delay in the initial step from the PTWC to UNESCO.

A potential problem remains with the formatting of the tsunami warnings, in that they may be mistaken for Spam. Here is the spam report for this message:

X-Barracuda-Spam-Report: Code version 3.2, rules version 3.2.2.73406

pts	rule name	description
0.00	NO REAL NAME	From: does not include a real name
3.38	FH DATE PAST 20XX	The date is grossly in the future.
0.01	UPPERCASE 75 100	message body is 75-100% uppercase
1.93	UPPERCASE 75 100 2	message body is 75-100% uppercase

The "FH_DATE_PAST_20XX" rule does not appears to be incorrectly applied. A combination of the way the messages are formatted and problems with spam filters may block some emergency messages.

The message is also set via fax, as well as the:

1. Global Telecommunications System (GTS)
2. Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN)

These systems originally used fixed, dedicated point to point links, to ensure fast and reliable delivery of warnings. However, they are increasingly using IP networks and Internet technology.

Subject: [Tsunami Message - IOC] Unscheduled Communications Test
Date: Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:40:36 +0000
From: tsunami-information-ioc@lists.unesco.org
Reply-To: tsunami-information-ioc@lists.unesco.org
To: IOC_Public_Lists@ptwc.noaa.gov

TEST... TSUNAMI DUMMY - COMMUNICATIONS TEST ...TEST
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
1640 UTC SAT FEB 04 2012

THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE. THIS MESSAGE APPLIES TO COUNTRIES WITHIN
AND BORDERING THE CARIBBEAN SEA...EXCEPT FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS.

...THIS MESSAGE IS FOR TEST PURPOSES ONLY...
...TEST PTWC UNSCHEDULED CARIBE-EWS COMMUNICATIONS TEST...

THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE. THIS IS AN UNSCHEDULED TEST OF THE
COMMUNICATION METHODS USED TO DISSEMINATE TSUNAMI INFORMATION
FROM THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER TO THE CARIBE-EWS
TSUNAMI WARNING FOCAL POINTS.

THIS TEST IS CONDUCTED APPROXIMATELY TWO TIMES PER YEAR AT AN
UNSCHEDULED TIME. THE MESSAGE IS SENT BY SEVERAL COMMUNICATION
METHODS INCLUDING THE GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM OR GTS...
THE AERONAUTICAL FIXED TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK OR AFTN... BY
EMAIL... AND BY TELEFAX.

THIS MESSAGE SHOULD ARRIVE BY ALL DESIGNATED METHODS WITHIN A
FEW MINUTES OF ITS BEING DISSEMINATED. TSUNAMI WARNING FOCAL
POINTS SHOULD CHECK THAT IT WAS RECEIVED BY ALL METHODS IN A
TIMELY FASHION.

PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS TEST MESSAGE.
------------------------------------
FOR THIS TEST IT IS NECESSARY TO RESPOND. PLEASE NOTIFY THE
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER BY EMAIL INDICATING BY WHICH
METHODS THE TEST WAS RECEIVED AND THE TIME OF RECEIPT FOR EACH
METHOD.

ALSO INDICATE IF ANY OF THE EXPECTED METHODS FAILED OR WERE
DELAYED BY MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES. PLEASE PROVIDE AN EMAIL
ADDRESS FOR A PERSON OR PERSONS TO CORRESPOND WITH REGARDING
ANY PROBLEMS.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AGREEMENT OF THE ICG CARIBE-EWS...THE
RESPONSE SHOULD BE MADE WITHIN ONE HOUR OF THE TEST. YOUR
COOPERATION IS APPRECIATED.

PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EMAIL ADDRESS
--------------------------------------------
COMMS@PTWC.NOAA.GOV

THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL WORK TO RESOLVE ANY
COMMUNICATIONS PROBLEMS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED.

----------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FEBRUARY 2 ROUTINE MONTHLY TEST AT 1530 UTC
WAS CANCELLED BUT WILL RESUME AGAIN IN MARCH.
----------------------------------------------------------------

THIS IS A TEST MESSAGE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS
TEST.

$$