Tsunami is a Japanese word for a series of destructive and very dangerous waves generated by an earthquake or other types of underwater turbulence. In recent years, tsunamis have caused an incredible amount of damage. To survive such devastating events, you need to be prepared, alert and calm. This article outlines some steps you can take in order to survive, provided you prepare and act in time to protect yourself and your family.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Prepare Early
Step 1. Know the potential danger
It is important to know in advance if the area you live in is at risk from a tsunami. The danger could exist in the following cases:
- Your home, school you attend, or place where you work is located in a coastal region near the sea.
- The house, school or workplace are located above sea level, at a rather low altitude, in a flat area or in an area with few reliefs from a morphological point of view. If you don't know what altitude you are at, inquire. Some local institutions use altitude as a parameter to determine tsunami risk.
- There are warning signs that an area is prone to tsunamis.
- Institutions and local authorities have released information about the potential tsunami risk.
- Some natural barriers, such as embankments and dunes, have been removed to encourage the construction of buildings.
Step 2. Pay attention to whether a tsunami has hit your coastal region in the past
Do some research or ask your local authorities for information. You can do a search on the Civil Protection website to find out if the area is at risk of floods.
Most earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in what is called the "belt of fire," an area of the Pacific known for its geological activity. Chile, the western United States, Japan and the Philippines are particularly vulnerable areas
Step 3. Prepare your supplies and make sure you keep them handy
If a tsunami (or other natural disaster) occurs, you will surely need some survival necessities to recover quickly. Therefore, you should organize suitable equipment for your personal safety and that of the family to always keep available:
- Prepare an emergency kit. Food, water and a first aid kit are essential. Store the box somewhere in the house in good view, known to all family members and easy to access in case of an emergency. Also, you may want to keep a raincoat or other suitable overcoat nearby for each person.
- Prepare a personal survival kit for each and a general one for the whole family, containing useful items for everyone. Include a supply of medications each family member needs. Don't forget your pets' survival gear.
Step 4. Make an evacuation plan
In order for it to be useful, you should develop it in advance. As you prepare, consider your family, workplace, and school. If necessary, start designing a larger evacuation plan for the community you live in, if it doesn't already exist. Take the initiative to implement it by involving local institutions and other residents. The lack of an evacuation plan and an alarm system increases the risk of accidents or even death for families and the entire community. Here's what you should consider to set it up effectively:
- Discuss with colleagues and family about various options for evacuation. For example, find a place to meet in the event of a tsunami.
- Organize hands-on drills to make sure everyone in the community knows what to do and where to go during the evacuation.
- Include a plan to calculate all people in the community and provide assistance to disabled or sick individuals.
- Make sure everyone understands the warning and evacuation signs, hand out brochures or give lectures to ensure everyone is aware of the correct procedures.
- Remember to offer several escape routes as an earthquake could destroy roads and other infrastructure, blocking some routes.
- Consider what kind of shelters and shelters can be found in areas intended for evacuation. Consider building shelters for preventive purposes.
Part 2 of 4: Recognizing the Warning Signs of a Tsunami
Step 1. Be very careful after an earthquake
If you live in a coastal region, the presence of a strong shock should immediately alert you and prompt you to evacuate the area.
Step 2. Notice a rapid change in coastal water levels
If the sea suddenly recedes, leaving the sand bare, keep in mind that this phenomenon is one of the greatest warning signs that indicate the arrival of a mass of water on the coast.
Step 3. Observe strange behavioral changes in animals
Be careful if animals run away or behave abnormally, such as trying to take refuge or grouping in a different way than usual.
Step 4. Listen to the warnings of the local authorities or the Civil Protection
Be careful if local institutions have time to warn the population. Keep up to date on how they plan to issue alerts to prevent them from being confused or ignored when they are launched. Share this information with family, friends, neighbors and the whole community. If the relevant authorities make brochures, a website or other sources of information available, ask for copies to be distributed or invite the institutions to fulfill this task.
Part 3 of 4: Evacuating after a Tsunami
Step 1. Give up your possessions
If a tsunami occurs, the most important thing of all is to save lives, not objects. If you try to recover material possessions, you could hinder your escape by wasting precious time. Grab your emergency kit, something to keep you warm, get your family together and leave the area immediately. If you want to survive a tsunami, you need to act fast without worrying about protecting your belongings.
Step 2. Move inland to an elevated area
The first thing to do, if possible, is to move away from the coastal area, the lagoon surfaces or other water basins and go to a higher location, even better if in the hills or in the mountains. Move at least 3km inland or 30 meters above sea level.
Be prepared for the possibility of finding roads completely destroyed and devastated by the tsunami. If you are going to use the road network to get to a safe location, think carefully. A tsunami is capable of destroying communication routes both due to seismic activity and due to the power of the earthquake. Use your sense of direction and consider putting a compass in your survival kit
Step 3. Climb up an evacuation tower
If you can't go inland because access is blocked, head up. The evacuation towers are designed to withstand the violence of the tsunamis. The walls are made to break the waves, allowing water to pass through them and preventing debris from collapsing the structure.
Lacking an evacuation tower nearby, find a tall building. While it's not ideal because it could collapse, if that's the only option, choose one that's tall enough, sturdy and solid, and climb as high as you can, even on the roof
Step 4. Climb a sturdy tree
As a last resort, if you get trapped and can't move inward or climb a building, find a tall, sturdy tree, and climb to the top if you can. Since there is a risk of vegetation being carried away by the onslaught of the tsunami, consider taking this measure only if all other alternatives are impractical. Either way, the stronger the tree and the sturdier its branches are to cling to (you could hang on for hours), the better your chances of surviving.
Step 5. React quickly if you get dragged into the water
If you failed to escape and eventually get swept away by the tsunami, there are a few things you can do to try to survive:
Hold on to something that floats. Grab a floating object and use it as a raft to keep yourself afloat. You may find floating objects in the water, such as tree trunks, doors, fishing equipment
Part 4 of 4: Surviving the Aftermath of the Tsunami
Step 1. Expect aftershocks and another seismic swarm
The tsunami hits the earth with several waves. There could be several, lasting for hours, and each could be bigger than the one before.
Step 2. Try to get reliable information
Listen to the radio for updates on what's happening. Don't trust word of mouth. It is better to wait somewhere safe than to come back too early and be swept along by other incoming waves.
Step 3. Wait for local authorities to declare "no more danger"
Only then should you go home. Find out in advance how this notice is issued. Remember that the roads may have been seriously damaged by the destructive force of the waves and that you may be forced to take alternative routes. An excellent emergency plan prepared in a timely manner should take this risk into account and indicate alternative routes and meeting places.
Step 4. Keep in mind that you need to look after your survival even after the tsunami has passed
Once the tsunami has calmed down, there will be rubble, destroyed buildings, broken infrastructure and even dead bodies. Drinking water supply systems could be destroyed or disrupted, but food could also be lacking. The risk of disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, despair, hunger and injuries are almost as serious and dangerous as the tsunami itself. An excellent contingency plan should consider these dangers and indicate the measures needed to protect oneself, family and community.
Step 5. Gather the community to organize a recovery plan
If the local institutions have not put in place any action plan, insist that they do so or form a group to organize a post-tsunami management. Here's what it should include:
- Create supplies of drinking water in advance. Whether it is bottled or filtered water, it is necessary to have a supply of water just in case;
- Open to everyone the houses and buildings that have not been damaged: help people in need and provide them with shelter;
- Ensure the presence of electric generators to allow cooking, maintaining personal hygiene and restoring the most essential toilets and transport;
- Organize emergency shelters and distribute food;
- Activate health care immediately;
- Put out fires and repair gas lines.
Advice
- As you run away from the sea, you warn as many people as possible. Without stopping, he shouts loud and clear: "Tsunami! Go high!". When the sea recedes, it is very likely that there are only a couple of minutes left before the wave returns.
- Make the children run away too. Don't go away from them. Give clear and simple instructions and make sure they know where to meet, should you ever split up.
- If a tsunami is detected in the distance, major cities are notified a few hours before it hits the coast. Listen to the announcements issued!
- The roar of the ocean, the receding sea and a strong earthquake are three warning signs of the tsunami. In these cases, head inland or to an elevated area.
- If you know a tsunami is coming, warn your family to get together in a safe place in case you ever break up. Everyone should have a whistle to call you if you are forced to split up.
- At the first warning sign, grab your emergency kits and head to a town or town in the hinterland and stay there until the authorities announce the "end of danger".
- Find an inland or elevated house to stop before the tsunami begins.
- Teach children to recognize the signs of a tsunami coming. Ten-year-old Tilly Smith saved her family and others in the 2004 tsunami because she learned the warning signs during geography class.
Warnings
- If you are on the beach and you see that the sea is completely receding, run away immediately. Don't waste time trying to understand the situation, but run in the opposite direction.
- Don't wait for the warning. If you think a tsunami is coming, leave immediately.
- The leading cause of death during a tsunami is drowning. The second is made up of rubble thrown by the violence of the waves.
- When a tsunami is expected to arrive, always listen to the instructions and advice provided by the police and Civil Protection. Generally, they are broadcast over the radio, so make sure you always have one on hand so that you are up to date.
