Fifty-three percent of the nation’s population lives in a coastal county, If you live on the coast line or have a loved one that does then you know that Tsunami’s are a danger. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program have designated March 21-27 as Tsunami Awareness Week.

With the great Tsunami of 2004 caused by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked the earth in the Indian Ocean area, and caused the deaths of 150,000 people, to the more recent tsunami’s in Samoa [see listed image bellow] & Chile.  This has prompted the NOAA to bring it to everyone’s attention and to create an awareness that tsunamis can strike when least expected.

California State will launch a statewide“Tsunami Awareness”campaign including a new classroom lesson plan, and Hawaii’s Lt. Governor, Duke Aiona, will host a tsunami awareness event at a school within a tsunami inundation zone on Oahu.

Now after the following deadly 2004 Tsunami, the US Congress has provided NOAA with more than $90 million in funds to help expand their warning and detection systems and an additional $135 million for research and an education network. If you are one of the 53% of our population that lives in a coastal area please check with your local city or state emergency departments and see what they have set up for the Tsunami Notification System. The most commonly used notification system are television, radio, and community sirens located along the shore line.

Many cities and states have finally caught up to the 21st century and you register to receive a Text Message Alert with a warning of a Tsunami in your area. If you do receive a Tsunami Notification then you should remain calm, move to higher ground, monitor your media sources for more information, and always remember to stay away from the beaches until you receive the “All Clear” notification and please know that tsunami’s may come in multiple waves over a span of many hours so don’t assume it will only just be one wave.

For more information please visit www.tsunamiready.noaa.gov for more information on being Tsunami Ready.

If you are interested in reading up on more related blogs pleas click on the following links below.

• What to Do in the Case of an Earthquake: supplies to have, how to be prepared before, during and after

• Pet Emergency Preparation Part 1

• This Way To Safety

• Year Round Safety Tips