Are We Prepared For a Tsunami?

The historic earthquake and destructive tsunami that crippled the nation of Japan raises concerns about the fragility of our own homes. Although earthquakes are near impossible to predict, they have not directly posed significant danger to our islands yet. Of more concern is the likelihood of a severe tsunami hitting our homes.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines tsunami as, "ocean waves produced by earthquakes or underwater landslides." The word tsunami is of Japanese origin and translates to "harbor wave".

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Because of our locatin in the middle of the Pacific we are subject to tsunamis generated from earthquakes around the Pacific rim. A dangerous fact about tsunamis is that they can stretch across miles of ocean. They can affect regions in different timezones, leaving us exposed from all directions.

Provided are videos from the NOAA that further explain the devastating magnitude and complexities of tsunamis. It also details warnings signs and procedures to follow:

Here is a NOAA provided video made for children:

Below are the sources for this article. Please follow them to gain additional understanding of earthquakes and tsunamis.

1. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

2. U.S. Geological Survey

3. NOAA (What You Should Do)

Update

on 2013-02-08 22:12 by Fourth Branch

"Propagation of the February 6, 2013 Solomon Island tsunami  was computed  with the NOAA forecast method using MOST model with the tsunami source  inferred from DART."