# AI advises climbing onto a rooftop during a tsunami to escape rising water (insufficient height and structural collapse risk)

- **ID:** `disaster/tsunami-climb-rooftop-myth`
- **Domain:** disaster
- **Category:** life_threatening
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 82%

## Root Cause

Rooftops of typical buildings are rarely high enough to clear tsunami inundation depths, and the hydrodynamic force of the wave can collapse the structure, sweeping occupants into debris-filled water.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| FEMA P-646 (2019) | active | — | — |
| NOAA TsunamiReady Guidelines (2023) | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Evacuate vertically to a reinforced concrete building above the tsunami inundation zone (at least 30 meters or 100 feet elevation, or 3 km inland). Use the stairs, not the elevator.** (90% success)
   ```
   Evacuate vertically to a reinforced concrete building above the tsunami inundation zone (at least 30 meters or 100 feet elevation, or 3 km inland). Use the stairs, not the elevator.
   ```
2. **If no tall building is available, run to high ground immediately after the earthquake or tsunami warning. Do not wait for the first wave.** (85% success)
   ```
   If no tall building is available, run to high ground immediately after the earthquake or tsunami warning. Do not wait for the first wave.
   ```
3. **If trapped in a building, move to the highest floor above the predicted inundation depth, ideally a concrete core near the elevator shaft, and hold onto a sturdy fixture.** (70% success)
   ```
   If trapped in a building, move to the highest floor above the predicted inundation depth, ideally a concrete core near the elevator shaft, and hold onto a sturdy fixture.
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **Climbing onto a flat concrete rooftop thinking it is stronger than walls** — Concrete roofs without anchor points offer no handholds; wave debris and hydrodynamic forces strip occupants off within seconds (95% fail)
- **Using a ladder to climb onto the roof just before the wave arrives** — Ladders take time to set up and are swept away by the first surge, leaving the person stranded at ground level (90% fail)
- **Assuming a two-story building rooftop is high enough for a 10-meter tsunami** — Tsunami runup often exceeds 10 meters; the roof at 6-8 meters is still submerged, and the building may collapse from wave impact (85% fail)