You’re on a beach, without a care in the world. The sun tanning your skin, the sand running between your toes, the sound of the waves. Wait, what? Where did all the water go? Did you see her leave? It’s better to act quickly. In a matter of minutes, you can be underwater.
20 years ago, on December 26th, it caused around 230,000 deaths, generated waves over 30 meters high and was one of the worst natural disasters of the last hundred years.
Most of the fatal victims were caught off guard by the event, mainly because they did not recognize (or did not know) the first signs that a devastating tsunami was approaching.
Knowing these signs (and run away seven feet) can help us survive one of these catastrophic events, but we need to know what to doexplains the YouTube channel.
Tsunamis are triggered by a intense underwater activityusually an earthquake or underwater volcanic eruption.
These events displace large volumes of water, pushing it from the bottom of the ocean to its surface. But when gravity pulls her back down, all this accumulated energy is released outwards, forming deadly waves that become stronger as they propagate across the ocean.
Tsunami waves can be 100 km long and sometimes more than 30 m high. They can cross entire oceans, moving at the speed of a jet plane.
With so much speed, strength and endurance, how can anyone stand a chance? Even in a tsunami risk zone, is it possible to survive — if you know what to do, and the first step towards surviving the catastrophe is being able to identify the first signs of a tsunami.
O Pacific Ocean is known for its volatile tectonic activity, which explains why 75% of volcanic eruptions and 90% of earthquakes occur in this ocean. These geological disturbances are the reason why 85% of all tsunamis occur in the Pacific.
In most cases, an earthquake precedes the tsunami. So if you are close to the coast and feel an earthquakestart by protecting yourself from the earthquake; but as soon as the tremors stop, move to a higher location as quickly as possible.
One of the first signs of a tsunami imminent is the fact that the water along the coast recedes. The water recedes and exposes the seabed. The beach will get bigger. Don’t go to the beach to investigate, you’re just putting yourself at risk — the water will come back.
Instead, head in the opposite direction — run to the other side. Try to move away until 3.5 km from the ocean or 30 m above sea level to ensure your safety. Then head to the highest altitude possible.
Tsunamis move quickly and may not have time to run away from the danger zone. In that case, look for a tall building with a concrete foundation resistant. If you see one nearby, run inside and go to the roof as quickly as possible.
If you can’t reach a building or high point in time, your best bet is hold on to something and hold on. Although this may not seem very practical, it could save your life.
In the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, an Indonesian woman was finally saved after falling clinging to a palm tree for five days straight. While not ideal, if you can’t get to a higher location in time, you need to find something to hold on to.
As the tsunami moves inland, the waters carry with it tons of debris. This can be very dangerous as the accumulation of debris at high speed becomes a fatal obstacle for anyone caught in the current.
However, many tsunami victims were saved after it rose to loose roofs or clinging tightly to cars or other large objects that were floating.
Of course, even if you’ve made it this far, your problems aren’t over yet. A tsunami is not a wave, but a series of waves known as a “tsunami wave train”.
These waves may have an interval from five minutes to an hour. And be aware that the first wave you hit isn’t always the strongest. So even if you think the tsunami is over, stay in a safe place until you have news from authorities locations.
It goes without saying that tsunamis are terrifying. And when a 30 meter wave rushes towards us 800 km per hourwe are likely to feel quite helpless.
Still, if you recognize the first signs and follow these stepsyour chance of surviving increases…dramatically.
A few years ago, the German newspaper Bild published an article captured by a tourist who was in Thailand in 2004, on the day of the infamous tsunami, which is a compendium of everything not to do when catastrophe approaches.
Firstly, the video shows us a small group of bathers on the beach, look fascinated at the huge waves approaching in the distance — which was clearly already a tsunami. They continue to stroll along the sand, calmly.
Furthermore, the author of the video himself was long minutes to film the phenomenon, apparently without really knowing what was going on — until someone tells him that it’s a tsunami, and that they better start running to save themselves.
In this case, fortunately, the German tourist managed to reach a safe location — and survived to tell the tale.
