Tsunami 101

The warnings are here. This time, I'm sorry. The time goes into reverse. A thunderous role feels there. And then it strikes. And when it is over, nothing, is what? A tsunami. The word in Japanese means harbor wave. Japan has been hit by many tsunamis in its history. As a result of its location. It lies across the edges of four tectonic plates, where most earthquakes, the principal cause of tsunamis, are war. When two tectonic plates push together, the resulting earthquake sends an enormous burst of energy up through the ocean. Displacing enormous quantities of water. A series of waves expands in all directions. In deep water, these waves travel fast. Up to 500 miles an hour, but only reach a height of a few feet. A passing ship might not even notice. But as the waves enter shallow waters, friction with the ocean floor lowers the wave speed and raises their height until it landfall. They can engulf a ten story build. Unlike ordinary waves, a tsunami wave doesn't crest and break. Instead, it advances like a wall of water that crashes over the coastline and everything in its way, reaching even as far as a mile in one. More damage is caused when the wave receives dragging everything in it back underwater. And most tsunamis have multiple waves. Each arriving anywhere from ten to 60 minutes after the first strike, just when survivors think the danger is over. The deadliest tsunami ever recorded occurred in December of 2014. An earthquake off the coast of Indonesia triggered a tsunami and surged across the Indian Ocean and reached as far as the coast of Africa. Whole sections of cities were destroyed. More than 200,000 people died. Most had no way of being warned. 5000 miles away, the Pacific tsunami warning center in Honolulu is on call 24 hours a day to prevent a similar tragedy from happening in the United States. Scientists monitor tremors and quakes from around the globe. If a quake big enough to cause a tsunami occurs, it is their job to alert the coastlines in the tsunamis path. The advice is simple. Move to higher ground, wait for news that the tsunami has passed and be ready to deal with the ruins left in its wake.