How to Survive a Tsunami

A tsunami is a series of extremely dangerous destructive waves. They are the result of earthquake activity or some other type of underwater disturbance. In recent years, tsunamis have caused unimaginable damage. To survive a tsunami, you must plan ahead, stay alert, and stay calm. This article outlines steps that can help you survive a tsunami, as long as you learn and prepare to follow these guidelines in advance.

Table of Contents

Prepare in advance

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Learn about the risks in advance. The important thing you need to do is find out if the place you live is likely to face a tsunami. You are at risk if:

Your home, school, workplace is located in the coastal area, near the sea.
Your home, school, or workplace is at or below sea level, on flat or slightly undulating ground. If you don’t know the altitude of your home, school, or work, find out. Some local governments use altitude as an indicator for warnings.
There are signs indicating that there is a possibility of a tsunami in your area.
Your local government has released information about the possibility of a tsunami.
Natural sea barriers such as dikes or sand dunes have been removed for urban development purposes.

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Be wary if there has been a tsunami in your coastal area in the past. Check with your library or ask your local government office. Look for websites that allow you to look up flood risks online. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Most tsunamis occur in what is known as the “ring of fire,” an area in the Pacific Ocean known for its geological activity. ^{[2] X Sources} Chile, the US West Coast, Japan and the Philippines are particularly prone to tsunamis.

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Prepare essential materials in an easy-to-access place. If a tsunami (or other natural disaster) hits, chances are you’ll need some supplies to survive, and you’ll need to get them as quickly as possible. Prepare and pack both safety and vitals together.

Prepare a package of safety items . Food, water, and a first aid kit are the most basic items. Store the package securely in a place that is easily visible, familiar to everyone in the home, and easily accessible in the event of an emergency. You also need to have a raincoat or jacket available for each person in the house near a safe place to pack.
Prepare a personal survival kit for each family member, and a family survival kit with familiar items for everyone. Remember to prepare all necessary medications for each family member. You also do not forget to prepare survival items for your pets.

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Develop an evacuation plan. An evacuation plan should be prepared in advance. When planning your evacuation, consider your family, your workplace, your personal school, or the surrounding community. If necessary, initiate a community-scale evacuation plan if there is not already one in your community. Be a pioneer in planning, and engage with local authorities and other residents. The lack of an evacuation plan and local warning system increases your and your community’s risk of injury or death during or after a tsunami. The following are the items required for a successful evacuation plan:

Discuss with family and co-workers different options for evacuation. For example, you need to know where to see your loved ones again if a tsunami hits. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
Conduct hands-on exercises to ensure that all members of the community are clear on what they need to do and where they need to go during an evacuation.
The plan should include a complete list of community members; ensure that support reaches the sick and disabled.
Ensure that the warnings and signs of evacuation are well understood in advance by everyone in the community. Information pamphlets or lectures can be distributed to make sure everyone is aware. Read the earthquake cautions.
Remember to plan different safe routes because an earthquake can destroy roads and infrastructure, hindering the use of some routes to escape.
Consider what types of shelters may exist in displaced areas; Should such shelters be built in advance?

Know the Tsunami Warning Signs

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Be especially careful after an earthquake. If you live in a coastal area, the occurrence of an earthquake should sound the alarm and evacuation action should be taken immediately.

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Observe the rapid rise and fall of sea level. If the sea water suddenly recedes (retreats), leaving the sandy beach empty, it is a warning sign of a large possibility of a sudden wave to the shore.

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Recognize strange changes in animal behavior. Watch for animals that are leaving their habitat or behaving unusually, such as trying to find shelter from people or unusually gathering together. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Heed warnings from the community and the government. Pay attention if the local authority has time to issue a warning. Arm yourself with information about how local authorities will issue warnings so you don’t make mistakes or ignore warnings that are issued. Share such information with family, friends, neighbors and the community; if local authorities have handbooks, websites or other sources of information, ask them to provide copies for distribution or ask the local authority to take action. this duty is his.

Evacuation after the Tsunami

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Give up personal belongings. If a tsunami hits, save people, not property . Try to leave objects and assets that interfere with the evacuation process because they will cost you valuable time. Grab your safety pack, keep you and your family warm and leave immediately. Lifetime survivors act quickly and are often uninterested in trying to protect property.

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Move inland and reach the high ground. The first thing you should try to do, if possible, is move “out of” coastal areas, lagoons or other bodies of water, toward higher ground and even up hills or mountains. Move until you are more than 3 km inland or about 30 m above sea level. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Anticipate roads that could be completely wiped out by the tsunami. ^{[6] X Research Sources} If you’re going to use roads to get where you need to go, think carefully. When a tsunami hits, a lot of roads are obliterated, both by the seismic activity of the earthquake or by the tsunami itself. Choose your direction wisely, and consider bringing a compass in your survival kit.

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Climb high. If you can’t go inland because you’re stuck, climb up. While it’s not ideal because the place you’re climbing on can collapse on its own, if there’s no other option, climb tall, solid, and sturdy buildings. Climb as high as you can, even onto the roof. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Surviving the Tsunami

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Resists aftershocks and residual waves. A tsunami brings waves. There can be many, many waves lasting for hours and the latter being even larger than the former. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Try to capture reliable information. Listen to the radio for status updates. Don’t just believe word of mouth. Better to wait than to return too soon and be hit by the oncoming waves.

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Wait for the local authority to announce that “the danger is over”. Only then should you return home. You can find out in advance how local authorities make such announcements. Remember, roads can be severely damaged by tsunamis and you may have to find alternative routes. ^{[11] X Research Sources} A good emergency plan should be prepared in advance to take this possibility into account and provide alternative routes and gathering places.

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Know that you must continue to survive even after the tsunami. After the tsunami has receded, there will be a lot of debris, destroyed buildings and ruined infrastructure. There may also be dead bodies. Clean water supplies can be destroyed or disrupted. Most food supplies will not be available. The risks of illness, post-traumatic stress, grief, hunger, and injury make the post-tsunami period just as dangerous as the tsunami itself. An emergency plan will need to consider the consequences and what you need to do to protect yourself, your family and your community.

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Gather the community together after a resettlement plan. If the local authority does not come up with an action plan, ask them to do so and form a community action group to review the post-tsunami plan. Items that can help survive a tsunami include:

Set up a clean water source in advance. Whether it’s bottled or filtered water, an emergency supply of clean water should be in your community.
Reopen undamaged houses and buildings to others. Help those in need and give them shelter. ^{[12] X Research Source}
Make sure a generator is available to cook, maintain, and restore basic health care and transportation services.
Operate emergency shelters and distribute food.
Get healthcare back up and running immediately.
Extinguish the fire and fix the broken gas system.

Advice

Evacuate your children as well. Try to keep everyone together. Give them clear and simple instructions and make sure they know where to regroup in the event of separation. Because you may not be able to hold your little hands in the face of the onslaught of a tsunami, teach your kids in advance how to best help them figure out how to best survive if separated.
If you are at the beach and find the tide is unusually complete, evacuate immediately; it’s not an invitation to explore but a warning to run in the opposite direction .
While moving very quickly away from the sea, warn as many people as possible. As you evacuate, shout loudly and clearly: “Tsunami! Towards the high ground!”. When the tide recedes unexpectedly, there is a chance that a tsunami will strike in the blink of an eye.
If you see the tide coming in very quickly, it will soon come back and strike.
If a distant tsunami is detected, major cities are warned hours or less before the tsunami hits. Take note of these warnings!
Whenever you hear an official tsunami warning, don’t ignore it or delay taking action. Get ready to evacuate the area and seek shelter high, deep in the continent. Proving that you’re ready for a tsunami even if it doesn’t materialize is far better than proving that you’re stronger or wiser than Mother Nature and then dying in a desperate struggle. Don’t run into the water to save anything.
It’s best to find a house inland or in a high place to stay before the tsunami hits.
As soon as you hear the announcement of an oncoming tsunami, quickly grab your emergency supplies and head inland, to a city/town, and stay there until you are cleared by the authorities. authorized to announce that “the danger has passed”.
If you are trapped in a tsunami, try to swim or cling to something.
Teach your children to recognize the signs of an impending tsunami. Ten-year-old Tilly Smith saved her family and others’ lives in 2004 because she listened in geography class. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Warning

Don’t wait for warnings. If you think a tsunami is coming, evacuate immediately.
The main cause of death in a tsunami is drowning. The second main cause is being hit by debris.
Always listen to instructions and advice from the police when a tsunami hits. Local government instructions are often broadcast on the radio, so listen carefully.

Things you need

Food
Clean water
1 first aid kit – per family or group
Dry, warm clothes and a waterproof jacket if possible or a poncho – per person
Medicines that someone needs to take on a regular basis, such as asthma medications, heart medications.
Flashlights and batteries – per family or per group
Water and food in case of emergency
Clothing – two sets – per person
Pair of strong magnets – per family or per group
Battery-powered or hand-cranked radio – per family or per group
Pillows (inflatable ones) – per person
Mobile phone
Blanket
Utility knife (military knife)
Money for emergency use
Photocopies of important documents such as birth certificates, wills, identity cards, etc.

Steps