The rules of conduct for the tsunami must be known to everyone who lives in the area where this natural phenomenon can occur. It is always worth remembering that it is fraught with the most devastating consequences.
What is a tsunami?
The main thing to remember is that if you follow the rules of behavior during the tsunami, then save your life for yourself and your loved ones.
After all, this is a global natural disaster. It represents waves of great height, which appear due to a powerful underwater earthquake. This usually occurs during a change in bottom topography. It acts on water like a huge piston that raises and lowers large masses of water. Running away to the sides, they form destructive waves.
Sometimes there are other causes of the tsunami. For example, it can appear due to the eruption of island, less often submarine volcanoes, as well as during the simultaneous collapse of large masses of terrestrial rocks into the water. This happens with underwater landslides.
Spread
The rules of safe tsunami behavior must be well remembered by everyone because this natural disaster spreads very quickly. In the open ocean, the speed of a tsunami wave can reach thousands of kilometers. But there they are not as dangerous as on the coast, because they are more gentle.
The distance between the ridges can be from one hundred to three hundred kilometers. And the height from the sole to the top is only a few meters. Therefore, the tsunami almost never constitutes a danger to ships and ships. Know the rules of conduct during the tsunami should, first of all, the inhabitants of the coast.
The element is approaching
When approaching the shore, the speed of the waves drops sharply, to about several tens of kilometers per hour. But the height, on the contrary, is increasing. In shallow water, the height of the tsunami can increase up to forty meters. It is especially dangerous near steep coasts, as well as in wedge-shaped bays, near promontories prominent far into the ocean.
Also, tsunamis can penetrate deep into the mainland, moving along river valleys. In their channels, the phenomenon of boron is formed. So called a high water shaft, which moves against the tide. The least dangerous for the impact of the tsunami are the coastal areas with closed bays.
Where do tsunamis occur?
Now it is known for certain that the rules of conduct during the tsunami are most relevant for the inhabitants of the Pacific coast. Indeed, it is in this ocean that about 80% of the most powerful earthquakes occur. Therefore, the coast of the Commander Islands and Kamchatka is considered the most exposed to this element. Here, most residents clearly know the rules of conduct in the event of a tsunami threat. Even if you do not live in these places, you need to remember them if you go traveling along the eastern coast of Russia.
Near these places there is a tsunamigenic zone, from where the most powerful waves come. It is located in the Aleutian and Kuril-Kamchatka gutters. To this day, information about the tsunami in Kamchatka that occurred in 1737 has been preserved.
Notification system
When it becomes known that an earthquake has occurred in the Pacific, all the tsunami warning services transmit the relevant information to the Pacific Center. It becomes immediately known about the coordinates and strength of the earthquake, as well as the probability of a tsunami and its estimated strength.
The first to know about approaching tsunamis at sea level observation stations. They are located in the immediate vicinity of the epicenter of the earthquake. When confirmation of the formation of waves of anomalous height is received, then residents of areas that they may affect receive a warning, all operational services are put on alert. At these moments, it is especially important to know the rules of tsunami behavior in terms of points.
When it becomes apparent that there is a real threat to the propagation of high waves, an alarm is raised. All online services receive relevant messages. In the Kamchatka Territory, this happens with the help of the special OXION system. This modern system operates in the fourteen most tsunami-prone settlements in Kamchatka. Operational services immediately bring information to the public. For this, there is a warning system, in particular, radio broadcasting points, sirens, by loudspeakers they list briefly, by paragraphs of the rules of conduct during tsunamis.
Tsunami threats
It is important not only to be guided by the messages of operational rescue services, but also to know about the signs that may indicate the approach of this element.
A real tsunami threat exists when a powerful earthquake occurs (at least 6 points). Defining it is easy. The oscillation of the earth's surface is so strong that it is difficult for a person to walk, buildings are shaky, pendant lights are swinging in apartments, dishes are falling out of cabinets and broken, objects are falling from shelves, even powerful furniture can move around the house or office. Such strong fluctuations should last at least 20 seconds.
Another sign of the approaching tsunami is the sudden departure of water from the coast at a considerable distance. In this case, the bottom is exposed. Remember, the further the sea recedes, the higher and stronger the tsunami waves can be. It is also worth worrying if the sea level is too low at high tide and too high at low tide, the ice begins to drift in an unusual way, cracks form in the fast ice, floating objects move along an abnormal trajectory. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the formation of currents, upthrows at the edges of stationary ice and reefs.
How to prepare for a tsunami?
In order for the tsunami not to take you by surprise, you must always have at hand in an easily accessible place the items necessary in case of emergency evacuation. These are matches, a small amount of food, a flashlight, documents, spare clothes. All this should be packed in a reliable backpack or waterproof bag.
It is also always necessary to evaluate which ways and means you can most quickly reach a safe place.
Tsunami action
Observe the rules of conduct during the tsunami so as not to suffer. In coastal settlements, having received an alarm, you should immediately leave houses and offices. You must leave the premises according to the evacuation plan.
If you find yourself in a warning hearing zone or in hard-to-reach areas, you should remember that a tsunami can reach the shore within 10-20 minutes after the start of the earthquake. This is the time you have to take the necessary protective measures.
You need to quickly leave the coast inland. It is best on a hill so that the altitude is at least 30-40 meters. If you are in a closed bay, then the height can be limited to five meters. From the coast you should go along the slopes, and not along the river valleys.
If there is no hill in the district, you need to move off the coast at least two to three kilometers. If two hours have passed after the earthquake, and the waves did not crash ashore, most likely the tsunami threat has passed. But it’s better to wait until the end of the alarm if there is a warning system in your area.
If the tsunami wave has reached the coast, the coast should be returned no earlier than three hours later. After all, after the first wave most often follows a few more.
Vessels that are in coastal waters should go into the open ocean, heading perpendicular to the shoreline.