Earthquake Safety Tips

How to stay safe when these natural disasters strike

Have an earthquake readiness plan.
Consult a professional to learn how to make your home sturdier,
such as bolting bookcases to wall studs, installing strong latches
on cupboards, and strapping the water heater to wall studs.
Locate a place in each room of the house that you can go to in
case of an earthquake. It should be a spot where nothing is likely
to fall on you, like a doorframe.
Keep a supply of canned food, an up-to-date first aid kit, 3 gallons
(11.4 liters) of water per person, dust masks and goggles, and a
working battery-operated radio and flashlights in an accessible
place.
Know how to turn off your gas and water mains.
If shaking begins:
Drop down; take cover under a desk or table and hold on.
Stay indoors until the shaking stops and you're sure it's safe to
exit.
Stay away from bookcases or furniture that can fall on you.
Stay away from windows. In a high-rise building, expect the fire
alarms and sprinklers to go off during a quake.
If you are in bed, hold on and stay there, protecting your head with
a pillow.
If you are outdoors, find a clear spot away from buildings, trees,
and power lines. Drop to the ground.
If you are in a car, slow down and drive to a clear place. Stay in the
car until the shaking stops.

Tsunamis
The name tsunami is Japanese word that means harbor wave. Tsunamis
used to be called tidal waves, but they actually have nothing to do with the
tides.
The Pacific Ring of Fire is the most common place for tsunamis to happen,
due to the number of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

The water of a tsunami wave behaves in a very different way. In deep ocean
waters a tsunami wave may only be a foot high, but it can be 60 miles long
and it can travel across the top of the ocean at up to 500 miles an hour.
Which is like the speed of a jet airplane. When the wave reaches shallower
water near a coastline, the water at the bottom of the wave slows down, but
water at the top keeps moving fast. The energy this produces can create a
wave that rapidly increases in height, sometimes up to 100 feet high, that
crashes into the coast and floods the land. The water can reach 1000 feet
inland and can be strong enough to destroy houses and trees.
Often the trough, the lowest part of the wave, reaches land first. This can
cause a vacuum effect, sucking the coastal water back out to sea and
exposing the seabed. This is an important warning sign of an impending
tsunami and understanding what it means can give people valuable time to
get to higher ground. Because a tsunami usually arrives as a series of waves,
people should stay on higher ground until told it is safe to return.

Causes of Tsunamis:
The sudden displacement of huge amounts of water causes tsunamis.
Earthquake
Most happen as a result of an undersea earthquake. If the earthquake is
powerful enough, the sudden movement of the ocean floor at a tectonic
plate boundary can cause the water above to surge upwards then fall back.
The energy created then races under the surface of the water and forms the
series of waves, known as a wave train, of a tsunami.
Volcanic Eruption
The eruption can be either submarine (underwater) or on land. A submarine
eruption has a similar effect to an earthquake, making the ground shake and
sending the water above into ripples that grow into a tsunami. A huge lava
flow from a land volcano eruption, together with all the rock debris from the
explosion, can pour into the ocean and disrupt the water enough that a
tsunami may form.
Large landslide, Meteorite landing in the ocean
Whatever the initial cause, the displacement of the water is what makes a
tsunami.

Although it is impossible to predict a tsunami, once one is formed, early

detection systems using seismic equipment and water level gauges can
identify the time a wave will hit land. Tsunami warnings can be sent to
people living in vulnerable coastal areas. Systems like these are being built
to protect people living on coasts all around the world.

Tsunami Safety Tips

How to Prepare:
When in coastal areas, stay alert for tsunami warnings.
Learn details of the local warning systems.
Plan an evacuation route that leads to higher ground.
Know the warning signs of a tsunami: rapidly rising or falling coastal
waters and rumblings of an offshore earthquake.
Once it hits:
Never stay near shore to watch a tsunami come in.
A tsunami is a series of waves. Do not return to an affected coastal
area until authorities say it is safe.