Safety first for tsunamis

TSUNAMI SAFETY FIRST: What to Do Before, During & After

✅ 1. BEFORE A TSUNAMI (Preparedness)

Know the Risk

If you live near the coast, especially near earthquake zones, you are in a tsunami-prone area.
Learn your area’s evacuation routes and safe zones (usually on higher ground).

Create an Emergency Kit

Include:

Drinking water (3 days)
Non-perishable food
Flashlight + batteries
First aid kit
Important documents (waterproofed)
Whistle, small radio, phone charger
Medication and personal items

Have a Family Plan

Agree on a meeting point on high ground.
Practice tsunami evacuation drills.

🚨 2. DURING A TSUNAMI

If You Feel a Strong Earthquake

Do NOT wait for official warnings.
If the shaking is:
- Strong (cannot stand up),
- Long (more than 30 seconds),
  Then IMMEDIATELY evacuate to high ground.

Go to Higher Ground Immediately

Move to a location 30 meters above sea level or at least 3 kilometers inland, if possible.
Follow tsunami evacuation routes.

Stay Away From Beaches

Do NOT go to the beach to watch the waves.
A tsunami can arrive within minutes after an earthquake.

Do NOT Use a Vehicle Unless Necessary

Roads may be damaged or jammed.
If you must drive, leave the coastal area quickly and do not return.

Listen to Official Warnings

Use a radio, phone alerts, or trusted channels.
A tsunami is not one wave—multiple waves can strike over hours.

⚠️ 3. AFTER A TSUNAMI

Stay Away Until Authorities Declare It Safe

Hazards remain: debris, flooding, contaminated water.

Don’t Return to Your Home Immediately

Wait for official instructions.
Watch for:
- unstable structures
- broken glass
- polluted water

Help Others Safely

Assist injured people if you can.
However, avoid entering unsafe areas.

Prevent Disease

Do not drink tap water unless declared safe.
Use bottled or boiled water.

🌟 LIFE-SAVING RULES TO REMEMBER

1. If you feel a strong or long earthquake → EVACUATE

2. Go to high ground immediately

3. Stay away until authorities say it’s safe

4. A tsunami is multiple waves, not one

OTHER SOURCES

If you are on land:

If you are in school and you hear there is a tsunami warning, you should follow the advice of teachers and other school personnel.
If you are at home and hear there is a tsunami warning, you should make sure your entire family is aware of the warning. Your family should evacuate your house if you live in a tsunami evacuation zone. Move in an orderly, calm and safe manner to the evacuation site or to any safe place outside your evacuation zone. Follow the advice of local emergency and law enforcement authorities.
If you are at the beach or near the ocean and you feel the earth shake, move immediately to higher ground, DO NOT wait for a tsunami warning to be announced. Stay away from rivers and streams that lead to the ocean as you would stay away from the beach and ocean if there is a tsunami.

Tsunamis generated in distant locations will generally give people enough time to move to higher ground. For locally-generated tsunamis, where you might feel the ground shake, you may only have a few minutes to move to higher ground.

High, multi-story, reinforced concrete hotels are located in many low-lying coastal areas. The upper floors of these hotels can provide a safe place to find refuge should there be a tsunami warning and you cannot move quickly inland to higher ground.

Local Civil Defense procedures may, however, not allow this type of evacuation in your area. Homes and small buildings located in low-lying coastal areas are not designed to withstand tsunami impacts. Do not stay in these structures should there be a tsunami warning.

Offshore reefs and shallow areas may help break the force of tsunami waves, but large and dangerous wave can still be a threat to coastal residents in these areas. Staying away from all low-lying areas is the safest advice when there is a tsunami warning.

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