Title: Tsunamis How bad are they?
1TsunamisHow bad are they?
- By
- Travis Jordan
- Reid Best
2"Suddenly I heard a shout, Big wave! The
streetlights around us exploded almost in the
same instant. I looked up and saw a locally well
known fishing boat coming up over the Wailoa
Bridge" -- Susan Maeda Veriato on the 1960
tsunami in Hilo, as told to her son Travis PTM
Archive Photo Yasuki Arakaki collection
Photographer Cecilio Licos
3What is a tsunami?
4Beginning
The word is Japanese and means "harbor
wave,because of the effect on the low coastal
areas. A Tsunami is a giant, or series of big
waves caused by an immediate vertical disturbance
that displaces the water from its normal
position. This causes the water mass to try to
regain normality by pushing away the displaced
water. "The main factor which determines the
initial size of a tsunami is the amount of
vertical sea floor deformation" (WACTC). Tsunamis
are not created from the wind! Earthquakes,
landslides, volcanic eruptions, explosions, and
even an impact from space, such as meteorites,
can generate tsunamis. Tsunamis can destroy
coastlines, causing property damage and loss of
life. A lot of the loss of life is caused by
drowning.
5Middle
When a tsunami crosses the ocean its length (from
crest to crest) can be 100 miles or more, and its
trough wont be any higher than two feet. A
tsunami travels at speeds of 600 miles per hour
in the deepest ocean. But once it reaches the
shoaling water of the coastline its speed
decreases, and the wave becomes increasingly
higher. It is in the shallow waters that waves
can be 100 feet high. Tsunamis are not created
from the wind. Wind-created waves have a period
of five to twenty seconds, and about 100 to 200
meters wavelengths. While tsunamis have periods
that range from ten minutes to two hours and 300
mile long wavelengths.
6End
As the tsunami leaves the deeper water of the
open ocean and travels into the more shallow
waters near the coast, As the tsunami heads
toward the shallow water the speed of the tsunami
will decrease but the energy of the tsunami will
stay the same and the wave grows bigger this
happens because its called a "shoaling"
effect. As the tsunami reaches the shore, a
rapidly falling or rising tide may appear.
Undersea features and the slope of the beach
helps change the tsunami as it approaches the
shore. Not very often are tsunamis large breaking
waves. Sometimes they break far offshore. If the
tsunami moves into a bay or river a bore (a
step-like wave with a steep breaking front) can
occur. The water level will rise from 50-100
feet. This flood can travel 1000 feet or more
inland. When the water retreats back out to the
ocean all the damaged objects will get drag back
into the ocean . Run-up height is the maximum
vertical height onshore above sea level. Since
tsunamis are caused by earthquakes, A tsunami is
caused by a earthquake therefore we can not
predict when there gonna happen and the intensity
of the tsunami. You can never tell exactly when
its finished because there are after shocks more
earthquakes and local tsunamis from landslides.
7Art work
Great Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa, by Hokusai,
a Japanese artist. This piece of art work is
misleading Because tsunami are not always huge
breaking waves as depicted in the print.
8Most Destructive recent Tsunamis
1975 Hawaii
1929 Grand Banks
1957 Aleutian
1960 Chile
1996 Peru
1946 Aleutian
1964 Prince William Sound
1952 Kamchatka
Skip
91929 Grand Banks Tsunami
November 18, 1929, at approximately 500pm,
Newfoundland  experienced an Earthquake off the
coast of Grand Banks, Newfoundland. That's when a
 tsunami was started by an under water landslide
and the earthquake, which was a Richter magnitude
of 7.2 with an epicenter of 44.5N, 56.3W. After
the tsunami hit it caused 400,000 in damage and
killed 29 people, the biggest death rate to occur
an in Canada from an earthquake. This tsunamis
 most damage was caused by the underwater
landslide. The landslide added to the size of the
tsunami and damaged many kilometers of 12
different transatlantic cables. The most of the
economys money was spent on the repair costs
 the for transatlantic cables. Unaware of the
danger coming from the sea, the communities of
Burin Peninsula, Newfoundland, there was a huge
amount of damage and loss of 29 lives. The
tsunami was spotted as far as South Carolina and
Portugal. In 1952 American scientists from
Columbia University put together the pieces of
the broken cables that led to the landslide and
the first documentation of a turbidity current.
Scientists are looking at layers of sand believed
to be deposited by other tsunamis in an effort to
determine the occurrence rates of large
earthquakes. One sand layer, were thought to be
deposited by the tsunami in 1929, in Taylor's Bay
they found 13 cm below the turf line. The
occurrences of large tsunamis, such as the one in
1929, are dependent upon deposition of sediments
offshore because it was the landslide, which made
the tsunami so powerful. The deposition of such a
large volume of sediments will take awhile before
there is enough to for an underwater landslide of
size as in 1929.
101946 Aleutian
April 1, 1946, at 1229 GMT, an earthquake shook
the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. There was a
Pacific-wide tsunami that had been started by the
earthquake, The tsunami had a surface-wave
magnitude of 7.8, an epicenter of 52.8 N, 163.5
W, and a focal depth of 25 km. The tsunami took
the lives of more than 165 people. There was one
structure affected by the tsunami it was a new
built Scotch Cap lighthouse on Unimak Island,
Alaska. In the Hawaiian Islands was one of the
hardest hit locations, by the tsunami. Pololu
Valley it recorded the highest run-up of 12.0 m.
Hilo was the city that received the most costly
damage on the Island of Hawaii. The tsunami
arrived at Hilo 4.9 hours after it originated in
the Aleutian Islands and the run-up was measured
at 8.1 m. Hilo received approximately 26 million
in damage and 96 people lost their lives. The
large number of deaths from this event brought
the people to realize that a warning system was
necessary to make sure the safety of the
population. August 12, 1948, a plan was approved
and the Seismic Sea Wave Warning System was
established. They changed the Pacific Tsunami
Warning System.
111952 Kamchatka
On November 4, 1952, at approximately 500pm, an
earthquake occurred off the coast of the
Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. The tsunami was
started by the earthquake that traveled pacific
wide, it had a focal depth of 30 km, a magnitude
of 8.2, and an epicenter of 52.8 N, 159.5 E. In
Hawaii six cows died but no human lives were
lost. Damage was estimated in the range of
800,000- 1,000,000 (in 1952). The Hawaiian
Islands had far worse damage. The waves destroyed
piers and boats, knocked over telephone poles
alone with their lines, washed away beaches, and
flooded homeowners lawns. A cement barge was
thrown into a freighter in Honolulu Harbor. In
Hilo Bay the bridge that connects Coconut Island
to the shore, was lifted off its foundation and
then smashed down into the water. This was caused
by one of the waves. At Coconut Island the
run-up was 12 feet. At Hilo the run-up was 11 1/2
feet a new record. At Reed's Bay, the water level
was as high as 11 feet. Most all the other
coastal cities of Hawaii, the water rise wasnt
noticeable. The destruction vary from place to
place. Without knowing the size of damage, Hawaii
had to warn homeowners to keep them away from the
shoreline until was safe to go home.
Midway Islands roads were flooded, because of
the Kamchatka tsunami 3,000 km away from the
origin. Photograph Credit U.S. Navy. Source
National Geophysical Data Center.
121957 Aleutian
March 9, 1957, at 222 GMT, an earthquake hit
south of  Andrean of Islands, in the Aleutian
Islands of Alaska. It was Pacific-wide tsunami
that was started by the earthquake, which had a
surface-wave magnitude of 8.3, an epicenter of
51.5 N, 175.7 W, and a focal depth of 33 km. In
this event there were no lives lost, the Hawaiian
Islands had received approximately 5 million
dollars. The Island of Kauai, Hawaii, was hit by
this tsunami twice as bad than by the Aleutian
Islands tsunami in 1946. Houses were washed out
and destroyed at Wainiha and Kalihiwai. At Haena,
 The heights of the waves reached about 16 m. At
Hilo, Hawaii, the run-up was reached 3.9 m. In
Hilo Bay, Coconut Island was covered by 1 m of
water and the bridge connecting it to shore was
destroyed. There was major a  wave at Laie Point
on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii. The northwest side
of the Hawaiian Islands received high levels of
water. Both the 1946 and 1957 tsunamis occurred
 at pretty much the same place (the Aleutian
Islands). The 1957 earthquake released more
energy than the earthquake of 1946. The tsunamis
force by this 1957 event caused less damage than
the tsunami of 1946. This potential of
destructive power of a tsunami forces Pacific
Tsunami.
These pictures are in a series of three
sequential photos show the arrival of a major
wave at Laie Point on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii.
Photograph Credit Henry Helbush. Source
National Geophysical Data Center.
131960 Chilean Tsunami
On May 22, 1960, at 711 , an earthquake occurred
off the coast of South Central Chile. There was a
tsunami triggered by the earthquake, which had a
surface-wave magnitude of 8.6, an epicenter of
39.5 S, 74.5 W, and a focal depth of 33 km. The
number of deaths caused by both the tsunami and
the earthquake and approximately 490 to 2,290.
The Damage cost was estimates well over a half
billion dollars. The inhabitants, feared the
earthquake, they were in boats to escape the
shaking. The trough of the tsunami arrived just
10 to 15 minutes after the earthquake, along more
than 500 m of the coast. After the tsunami had
gone by the Hawaiian Islands had damage costs
that were approximately at 24 million and 61
people had lost here lives. Hilo, on the main
island of Hawaii, was the hardest hit city in the
islands. The tsunami arrived at Hilo 14.8 hrs
after it was created off the coast of South
Central Chile. The waves at Hilo was measured at
10.7 m.
An aerial view of the coast of Isla Chiloe,
Chile, showing the tsunami damage.
141964 Prince William Sound
On March 28, 1964, at 0328 GMT, an earthquake
occurred in Prince William Sound of Alaska
triggering a Pacific-wide tsunami. The earthquake
had a surface-wave magnitude of 8.4, an epicenter
of 61.1 N, 147.5 W, and a depth of 23 km. Â The
tsunami was responsible for taking more then 122
people and causing over 106 million in
damage. Whittier incurred 10 million in
property damage. One of the waves, probably the
same one that caused the major damage in
Whittier, reached a height of 31.7 m above low
tide They also caused great damage to the small
boat harbor. The tsunami took the lives of
thirteen people at Whittier, then a community of
70 people The greatest damages suffered by any
location was Alaska. In Alaska 106 people lost
their lives and  84 million in damage.
The Tsunami left a 2 x 12 inch plank of wood
through a truck tire at Whittier, Alaska.
Whittier incurred 10 million dollars in property
damage.
151975 Hawaii
November 29, 1975, at 248 GMT, a tsunami was
created by an earth quake off the shore of
Hawaii. The tsunami had a magnitude of 7.2, an
epicenter of 19.3 N, 155.0 W, and a focal depth
of 8 km. At Halape, there was 32 campers. Out of
the 32, 19 were injured and 2 died. It sounded
like boulders falling, there was a second
earthquake that woke the campers. They all ran to
the coconut grove which was closer to the ocean.
The campers were awaken by a second quake that
sent large boulders down the cliff and the rest
of the campers to fleed toward the sea. These
campers had to go back to cliffs when the other
campers at the coconut grove fleeing the rising
ocean with there cries of a tsunami. The tsunamis
first wave that alarmed the campers was only 1.5
m. The second wave, however, was 7.9 m carried
campers into a ditch near the base of cliff where
they remained until the end. There were two
campers that died from this. The largest
recorded run-up was 14.3 m at Keauhou Landing,
Hawaii Island. Also on the Island of Hawaii in
the small bay of Punaluu the run-up reached 7.6
m.At Punaluu houses were swept off their
foundations and properties were damaged.
161996 Peru
February 21, 1996, at 1251 p.m. GMT (751 a.m.
local time), there was a large Earthquake that
struck approximately 130 Km off the northern
coastal region of Peru (9.6S, 80.2W). The
earthquake had a Harvard Mw estimate of 7.5 and
USGS Mw estimate of 7.3. The earthquake generated
a tsunami that reached the center of Peru on the
city of Chimbote. The Effects of the tsunami were
observed from Pascasmayo, in the department of La
Liberated, to the Port of Callao near Lima. The
straight line distance between these two
locations is approximately 590 Km. The tsunami
was recorded by mid-Pacific tide gages, 60 cm at
Easter Island, and 25 cm at Hilo, Hawaii. The
aftershock pattern ranged from 120 to 180 Km
offshore near the Peru-Chile trench and appeared
to parallel the Peruvian coastline.
The International Survey Team who gathered the
data.
17Which is worst? Regional or local tsunamis?
Regional tsunami are very destructive but local
tsunamis also cause significant damage. Local
tsunamis are created by landslides, which are
started by earthquakes. At the Valdez Inlet a
giant landslide started by the earthquake created
a tsunami that had a run-up of 67.0 m at the
inlet. In areas where local tsunamis are created
by landslides, nearby cities are not given any
warning of the oncoming waves.
18What is the highest known tsunami?
The highest tsunami, with a reliably measurement
on record occurred on July 9, 1958 in Lituya Bay,
Alaska. This was caused by a landslide that fell
into the bay. This unusual happening, caused by a
wave to surge up the slope on the opposite side
of the bay to a height of 518 m(1,700 ft).
Scientists believe that bigger tsunamis happened
a long time ago by asteroids, or large meteors,
falling into the ocean. Two places their looking
for evidence of these tsunamis are Hawaii and the
coast on the Gulf of Mexico. The landslide came
from the mountain(A) into the bay(B).
19The American Red Cross
The American red crosses guild to help you
prepare, get through, and survive a tsunami.
20How to prepare for a tsunami?
Avoid building or living in buildings within
several hundred feet of the coastline. These
areas are more likely to experience damage from
tsunamis, strong winds, or coastal storms. Make
a list of items to bring inside in the event of a
tsunami. A list will help you remember anything
that can be swept away by tsunami
waters. Elevate coastal homes. Most tsunami
waves are less than 10 feet. Elevating your house
will help reduce damage to your property from
most tsunamis. Follow flood preparedness
precautions. Tsunamis are large amounts of water
that crash onto the coastline, creating
floods. Have an engineer check your home and
advise about ways to make it more resistant to
tsunami water. There may be ways to divert waves
away from your property. Improperly built walls
could make your situation worse. Consult with a
professional for advice.
21What to do during a tsunami?
If you feel an earthquake that lasts 20 seconds
or longer when you are on the coast the Red
cross advises you to Drop, cover, and hold on.
You should first protect yourself from the
earthquake. When the shaking stops, gather your
family members and evacuate quickly. Leave
everything else behind. A tsunami may be coming
within minutes. Move quickly to higher ground
away from the coast. Be careful to avoid downed
power lines and stay away from buildings and
bridges from which heavy objects might fall
during an aftershock.
22What to do after a tsunami?
Skip
23Continue listening to a NOAA Weather Radio, Coast
Guard emergency frequency station, or other
reliable source for emergency information. The
tsunami may have damaged roads, bridges, or other
places that may be unsafe. Help injured or
trapped persons. Give first aid where
appropriate. Call for help. Do not move seriously
injured persons unless they are in immediate
danger of further injury. Help a neighbor who
may require special assistance--infants, elderly
people, and people with disabilities. Elderly
people and people with disabilities may require
additional assistance. People who care for them
or who have large families may need additional
assistance in emergency situations. Use the
telephone only for emergency calls. Telephone
lines are frequently overwhelmed in disaster
situations. They need to be clear for emergency
calls to get through. Stay out of the building
if waters remain around it. Tsunami waters, like
flood waters, can undermine foundations, causing
buildings to sink, floors to crack, or walls to
collapse. When re-entering buildings or homes,
use extreme caution. Tsunami-driven flood waters
may have damaged buildings where you least expect
it. Carefully watch every step you take. Wear
sturdy shoes. The most common injury following a
disaster is cut feet. Use battery-powered
lanterns or flashlights when examining buildings.
Battery-powered lighting is the safest and
easiest, preventing fire hazard for the user,
occupants, and building. Examine walls, floors,
doors, staircases, and windows to make sure that
the building is not in danger of collapsing.
Inspect foundations for cracks or other damage.
Cracks and damage to a foundation can render a
building uninhabitable.
next
24Look for fire hazards. There may be broken or
leaking gas lines, flooded electrical circuits,
or submerged furnaces or electrical appliances.
Flammable or explosive materials may come from
upstream. Fire is the most frequent hazard
following floods. Check for gas leaks. If you
smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise,
open a window and quickly leave the building.
Turn off the gas using the outside main valve if
you can, and call the gas company from a
neighbor's home. If you turn off the gas for any
reason, it must be turned back on by a
professional. Look for electrical system damage.
If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or
if you smell burning insulation, turn off the
electricity at the main fuse box or circuit
breaker. If you have to step in water to get to
the fuse box or circuit breaker, call an
electrician first for advice. Electrical
equipment should be checked and dried before
being returned to service. Check for sewage and
water line damage. If you suspect sewage lines
are damaged, avoid using the toilets and call a
plumber. If water pipes are damaged, contact the
water company and avoid using water from the tap.
You can obtain safe water from undamaged water
heaters or by melting ice cubes. Use tap water
if local health officials advise it is
safe. Watch out for animals, especially
poisonous snakes, that may have come into
buildings with the water. Use a stick to poke
through debris. Tsunami flood waters flush snakes
and animals out of their homes. Watch for loose
plaster, drywall, and ceilings that could
fall. Take pictures of the damage, both of the
building and its contents, for insurance
claims. Open the windows and doors to help dry
the building. Shovel mud while it is still moist
to give walls and floors an opportunity to
dry. Check food supplies. Any food that has come
in contact with flood waters may be contaminated
and should be thrown out.
25Help
There is no real place for the people to go after
a tsunami hit. This is because mostly everything
along the coast is destroyed, costing millions of
dollars of damage. The people can go farther in
shore for help because the tsunami doesnt go far
in shore.There is no real aid from the government
to help them, but there is the red cross that
helps anyone after a disaster hits. The disaster
usually destroys everything in its path. But the
red cross is always there to help.
26Effects on people
On July 12. 1993, a powerful earthquake west of
Hokkaido in the Sea of Japan unleashed a tsunami
that devastated nearby Okushiri Island. The video
you will see here shows Aonae Cape, a small
peninsula that points south off of Okushiri. The
peninsula was completely overtopped by the giant
wave, to heights of over 10 m. (the largest
recorded wave run-up on the island was nearly 30
m!) In the image above, the wave approached from
the left and swept over the land. Structures
remaining after the wave attack were destroyed
by the fires that engulfed the area due to broken
gas lines and toppled fuel containers.
27Effects on nature
The effect of nature can be quite devastating.
But only along the coastline is where all the
damage is. The waves can knock over trees, wash
away beaches and floods lower regions.
There are three videos. The first one shows the
effect on nature. The others show the effect on
people.
A montage from Papua New Guinea.
Damage on the shore of Izmit Bay, Turkey.
Izmit shore, as seen from the sea.
28Thank you for watching our presentation!
To Info
29Info
- http//www.tsunami.org/
- Suddenly I heard a shout, Big Wave!
- To slide 2
- http//www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami/general/
physics/physics.html - http//www.geo.arizona.edu//ablauser/hazard/4hilo
.html - What is a tsunami?
- To slide 3
- Beginning
- To slide 4
- Middle
- To slide 5
- End
- To slide 6
30Info 2
http//www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami/ Art
work To slide 7 A survey of great tsunamis Map
(picture) History Pictures To slide 8 To slide
9 To slide 10 To slide 11 To slide 12 To slide
13 To slide 14 To slide 15 Which is worst?
Regional or local tsunamis? To slide
17 http//www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami/Peru/
overview.html Peru To slide 16
31Info 3
http//www.pmel.noaa.gov/tsunami/Faq/x005_highest
What is the highest known tsunami? http//images.u
satoday.com/news/healthscience/science/wonderquest
/images/2002-04-24-tsunami.jpg Picture of the
highest known tsunami To slide 18 http//www.redcr
oss.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/tsunami.html Th
e American red cross To slide 19 How to prepare
for a tsunami? To slide 20 What to do during a
tsunami? To slide 21 What to do after a
tsunami? To slide 22 To slide 23 To slide
24 Help www.threerivers.org/ photos/V02/ Help
picture To slide 25
32Info 4
http//www.pmel.noaa.gov/tsunami/Faq/x005_highest
What is the highest known tsunami? http//images.u
satoday.com/news/healthscience/science/wonderquest
/images/2002-04-24-tsunami.jpg Picture of the
highest known tsunami To slide 18 http//www.redcr
oss.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/tsunami.html Th
e American red cross To slide 19 How to prepare
for a tsunami? To slide 20 What to do during a
tsunami? To slide 21 What to do after a
tsunami? To slide 22 To slide 23 To slide
24 Help www.threerivers.org/ photos/V02/ Help
picture To slide 25
33Info 5
http//www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/video/okuvid/inde
x.html Effects on people (video) To slide
26 http//www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/video/fieldvid
/index.html Effects on nature (video) To slide 27