What To Do When the Tsunami Warning Comes

 By Rosemary Nissen-Wade
(WordsFlow facilitator)

On this stretch of the Australian coastline, our greatest fears around climate change are to do with the invasion of the ocean. Our only question is whether that will be gradual or sudden: rising sea level or tsunami? It appears to us that the sea level is visibly rising bit by bit, the high tide line much closer in than it used to be. On the other hand, I was assured by one of my sons a couple of years ago that we have nothing to fear from tsunami here: the tectonic plates in this area are such that it couldn’t happen. The Australian Government doesn’t seem to agree with him though – we now get tsunami alerts. So far none of them have come to anything, but apparently it could happen. That’s a scarier idea than rising sea level. Unlike the poor citizens of the small Pacific islands which are likely to drown, we’ve got a lot of inland to retreat to and time enough to asses whether that’s going to be necessary. Tsunamis, though – that thought is terrifying. We’ve already seen on our TV news the damage they can do, and how fast they can do it.

With Blog Action Day coming up, WordsFlow’s most recent group exercise was to write on what to do when the tsunami warning comes. As usual, everyone handled the topic differently. There was the fictional approach, the journalistic, the philosophical…. One thing, though, was strikingly the same. We all felt quite sure we’d be utterly unprepared. If it was the middle of the night, would we wake up in time? Mari imagined trying to shake her husband awake and get him to understand what was happening, then floundering around wondering what to do next. Would we have time to get dressed and grab our pets and our valuables? Which would be the nearest, highest hill? Would the roads be so choked with cars that we wouldn’t make it? As we read out what we’d written, a sense of powerlessness pervaded the room. Some people felt so hopeless about the chances of getting away, they thought they might just as well wait it out and pray. From the TV images we’ve seen, that would probably be a self-imposed death sentence. It was a sobering exercise indeed!

Dinah, ever practical, decided to follow it up with a query to our local Council. They told her which was the quickest way to high ground from her place. As with every road away from this bit of coast, she’d have to dip down into a low valley before going uphill. They also sent her several brochures about tsunamis, and what to do in case of that or any emergency. I asked them to send me some too.

It seems my son was right. “On average, a tsunami is recorded in Australia every two years, but most are too small to be seen by people.  The tsunami threat to Australia varies from ‘low’ for most of our coastline to ‘medium’ along the northern half of WA (see map, page 27).  A small one struck WA in 1994. In the 1980s a tsunami reached Darwin at low tide, which fortunately cancelled out most of its force.  Evidence also exists of large tsunami impacts on our south-east coast, but before European settlement.  The largest actually recorded in Australia was in August 1977 at Cape Leveque, WA, with a ‘run-up’ of 6 metres (ie wave travelled inland to where the ground was 6m above sea level).” [From “Hazards, Disasters and Survival]
http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/arts/sslib/aemf/HDS/chapter_9.htm

We live on the east coast. The Australian Government brochure on “Tsunami Awareness”, one of the documents the local Council sent us, says, “In May 1960 a
great earthquake along the tectonic plate boundaries in the sea of Chile generated the largest recorded tsunami along the east coast of Australia. The event generated tsunami waves of just under a metre (trough to coast).” Several places suffered “slight to moderate damage (mainly to boats).”

On the other hand, it seems my son was wrong. I also read, in the Australian Government’s brochure, “Tsunami, Frequently Asked Questions”: Australia is surrounded to the northwest  and east by some 8,000 kilometres of active tectonic plate boundaries capable of generating tsunami, which could reach our coastline within two to four hours. One-third of earthquakes worldwide occur along these boundaries. The impact of a tsunami hitting vulnerable, low lying areas on the Australian coast could be significant.”

The same brochure states: A small tsunami may result in unusual tides or currents that can be dangerous to swimmers or cause damage to berthed boats. … The south Java tsunami (17 July 2006) was caused by a relatively small earthquake (magnitude 7.7) that generated a 0.5 metre tsunami. This tsunami inundated the coast by up to four metres in some places, killing over 600 people.” Hmm, seems we can’t relax after all.

So what are the warning signs, and what should we do when the tsunami warning comes?

“The number one warning sign of a tsunami in Australia is the advice you may receive from the media (radio or television) or from police and other emergency services. Follow their instructions immediately.”


Natural warning signs include:

1. Ongoing shaking of the ground in coastal regions (evidence of a large earthquake).
2. There may be (but not always) a rapid rise or fall in sea level.
3. A roaring sound may precede the arrival of a tsunami.

What should you do?

•    If you are at the beach, immediately move inland or to higher ground.
•    If your boat is in deep water and offshore, maintain your position.
•    If your boat is berthed or in shallow water, secure your vessel and move inland or to higher ground.
•    If you are on the coast and cannot move inland, seek shelter in the upper levels of a stable building.
•    Do not return to the coast until you receive official clearance. (A tsunami is not a single wave.)
•    Continue to follow emergency services instructions.

And – my advice – pray!