World Tsunami Awareness Day: Dos and Don’ts for people in high-risk areas

People living in high-risk areas that have often been exposed to natural disasters like floods or earthquakes should be always prepared. Since nature is highly unpredictable, a tsunami or a flood can hit your area at any time. Every year World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed on November 5 to make people aware of the disastrous impact of tsunamis and create awareness among them.

Dos and Don’ts for high-risk areas

If you are living in a high-risk area then you must first see that the height of your house is much higher than the sea level and at a good distance from the coast so that the immediate problems caused due to tsunamis are minimized. Being located at a good amount of distance from the seashore gives you ample time to evacuate when the situation arises.

Always have an evacuation plan ready for your home, workplace, school, or any other places that you visit regularly and come under high risk of a tsunami. If you live in a high-risk area find out whether the school of your children has an appropriate evacuation plan in place or not.

Occasionally keep on practising your evacuation routes and make a habit of listening to weather conditions daily on radio or television to stay abreast about the latest warnings and changes in climate.

As a family keep an evacuation plan ready and make sure that each member of your family is aware of what to do during a tsunami situation.

Being prepared by discussing evacuation routes, and techniques of handling tsunami situations will ensure that each of you face it with less fear and more courage and effectively manage to survive and escape the calamity.

Even if your building is at a higher level and you are safe, it is always better to evacuate it as early as possible as slowly the flood water will seep into the foundation and can make your building sink or lose its grip and collapse.