# AI tells coastal residents to 'evacuate to high ground' during a tsunami, but vertical evacuation in reinforced concrete buildings above 10 meters (33 feet) is also safe; 'high ground' may be too far for many

- **ID:** `emergency/tsunami-vertical-evacuation-height`
- **Domain:** emergency
- **Category:** life_safety
- **Error Code:** `TSUNAMI-VERTICAL-ERR-004`
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 85%

## Root Cause

The AI overgeneralizes 'high ground' without considering vertical evacuation in tsunami-safe buildings (e.g., hotels, schools built to FEMA P-646 standards), which can be faster and safer than horizontal evacuation to distant hills.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| FEMA P-646 2023 | active | — | — |
| NOAA TsunamiReady Program v3.1 | active | — | — |
| USGS Tsunami Inundation Maps 2024 | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Identify nearest tsunami-safe building: look for concrete building with at least 3 floors (10m+). Go to 3rd floor or above. Example: In Seaside, OR, the Seaside Civic and Convention Center is a vertical evacuation structure.** (90% success)
   ```
   Identify nearest tsunami-safe building: look for concrete building with at least 3 floors (10m+). Go to 3rd floor or above. Example: In Seaside, OR, the Seaside Civic and Convention Center is a vertical evacuation structure.
   ```
2. **If no vertical evacuation building available, evacuate horizontally to high ground at least 30m (100 ft) above sea level, or 1 km inland. Use NOAA tsunami evacuation maps.** (85% success)
   ```
   If no vertical evacuation building available, evacuate horizontally to high ground at least 30m (100 ft) above sea level, or 1 km inland. Use NOAA tsunami evacuation maps.
   ```
3. **In earthquake-prone coastal areas, after strong shaking, immediately go to high ground or vertical evacuation building without waiting for official warning** (95% success)
   ```
   In earthquake-prone coastal areas, after strong shaking, immediately go to high ground or vertical evacuation building without waiting for official warning
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **** — If hill is >1 km away, tsunami wave may arrive before reaching it; traffic jams common (85% fail)
- **** — Trees may uproot or break; height insufficient for large tsunamis (>10m); no structural integrity (95% fail)
- **** — Wooden structures not designed for tsunami forces; may collapse or wash away (90% fail)