Tsunami's are a devastating fact of nature. In recent years, Japan and Indonesia have suffered great losses of land, life, and home. The critical component of tsunami's is that they are not preventable, but they are predictable. Seismic waves that are released from underwater plate boundaries give enough warning with updated changes to create Tsunami warnings. These warnings may result in a Tsunami or they may just be overly cautious. With the damage that was caused and the near nuclear meltdown in Japan, they are planning and learning to use vertical evacuations instead of the escapes that led to many deaths.
Tsunami's are caused by sudden shifts in plates in an up or down shift. This sudden movement sends a force of energy through the water that causes waves, previously known as tidal waves.
I think students are really aware of the effects of tsunamis because they are not common in this area. It is important to expose them to natural disasters that they may not be familiar with.
ReplyDelete