TSUNAMIS: A WAKEUP CALL FOR THE U.S., PART 2

摘要

In part 1 (September 2005), we reviewed the effects of the Christmas 2004 Indian Ocean tsunamis that killed more than a quarter-million people and discussed how that catastrophe should be seen as a harbinger for potential future disasters affecting coastal zones in the United States and other nations vulnerable to tsunamis. Here, we will review what's being done to prevent a similar loss of lives in the United States and other nations, including improvements in planning, warning, evacuation, and response capabilities for fire departments, the U.S. Coast Guard, lifeguard agencies, and law enforcement. Many officials mistakenly assume they will always have several hours after a Tsunami Warning is issued to evacuate threatened populations to high ground. This, unfortunately, is not always true. Tsunamis caused by local earthquakes and underwater landslides can strike the coast within minutes, and the closer you are to the epicenter, the higher the chances that the largest and most damaging tsunamis will strike your location.