PREPARE
ACT
AFTERMATH
SURVIVOR STORIES
What a tsunami looks
like in, on, and under,
ocean water
ANATOMY
EFFECTS
DID YOU KNOW?
Multiple factors
influence a tsunami’s
strength
WARNING SYSTEMS
OBSERVATORIES
PALEO RESEARCH
MODELING
COASTAL BARRIERS
WHOI RESEARCHERS
Interesting facts
about tsunamis
PREPARE
ACT
AFTERMATH
Distance from earthquake
to land
Earthquake magnitude &
depth of water at
earthquake source
Coastal Vegetation
CLOSE
Topography of the coast
9
3
10
4
5
6
7
2
8
What you should
know before a
tsunami hits
What you should
and should not do
after a tsunami hits
What you should
do if a
tsunami hits
Know the
warning signs
Develop a family
disaster plan
Know whether you
live or travel to
danger zones
Assemble a disaster
supply kit
Plan an evacuation
route
Know the warning signs: Earthquakes
CLOSE X
Know the warning signs: Receding waters
If you see
receding water:
What you should do
If you receive a
tsunami warning
signal:
What you should
do
If you hear the
ocean roar:
What you should do
If you feel an
earthquake:
What you should do
Play Again
If you feel an earthquake...
CONTINUE
Act: What to Do During a Tsunami
Next Warning Sign
Protect yourself first.
DROP to the ground;
take COVER by getting under a
sturdy piece of furniture;
and HOLD ON until the
shaking stops. If there isn’t a
table or desk near you, cover
your face and head with your
arms.
STOP ALARM
If you see the ocean receding rapidly
If you see the ocean recede,
and youre on the beach, you have
minutes to run away from
the coast and reach higher ground.
Grab your family and run.
Leave everything behind.
Your life is more valuable than
your possessions.
If you hear the ocean roar
If you hear the ocean roar,
and you're on the beach, you have
seconds to run away from
the coast and reach higher ground.
Grab your family and run.
Leave everything behind.
Your life is more valuable than
your possessions.
Use extreme caution
around buildings
Stay away from
low lying areas
Do not return
until notified
Use telephones
only for emergencies
Stay away from
powerlines and
bridges
Tsunami Warning Center
receives seismic data
Mooring transfers
information to shore
via satellite
Tsunami Warning
Center receives
tsunami wave data
DART Station
detects
tsunami in
deep water
Earthquake
occurs
Seismometer detects
the earthquake and
transfers measurements
to mooring
CLOSE X
PREPARE
ACT
AFTERMATH
Run to higher ground
NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
General Information
MORE
Tsunami Ready from the National Weather Service
NOAA’s Tsunami Information
NOAA Research Center
UNESCO’s Interantional Tsunami Information Centre
PBS Special: Waves of Destruction: Tsunamis
U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Tsunami Information
NOVA Special: Wave that Shook the World
Additional Information
Research and Technology
University of Washington’s Tsunami Information
Pacific Tsunami Museum
West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
Tsunami Research from WHOI
Morss Colloquium: Lessons from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
Research and Technology cont.
National Geophysical Data Center’s Historical Tsunami Database
University of Southern California Tsunami Research Center
Oceanus Magazine: In the Tsunami’s Wake, New Knowledge About Earthquakes
Historical Tsunamis
WHOI Tsunami Topic Page
National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program
Caribbean tsunami and earthquake hazards studies at USGS, Woods Hole Science Center
University of Washington’s Survey of Great Tsunamis
Oceanus Magazine: Tsunamis in the Caribbean? It’s Possible.
Oceanus Magazine: A ‘Book’ of Ancient Sumatran Tsunamis
Tsunami Wave Tank and Research Laboratory
©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
About this site
Additional information
CLOSE