TSUNAMI-EVAC-HEIGHT-002 safety physical_safety ai_generated true

AI tells a coastal resident during a tsunami warning to evacuate to a building at least 10 meters above sea level, or to a point 1 km inland, ignoring that tsunami runup can exceed 30 meters and inundation can reach 2 km in some regions

ID: safety/tsunami-evacuation-height-misinfo

Also available as: JSON · Markdown · 中文
85%Fix Rate
87%Confidence
1Evidence
2024-03-22First Seen

Version Compatibility

VersionStatusIntroducedDeprecatedNotes
NOAA Tsunami Warning System v2.0 active — — —
USGS ShakeAlert 2024 active — — —

Root Cause

Tsunami runup height and inundation distance vary by local bathymetry, earthquake magnitude, and coastal topography; generic 10m/1km guidelines are insufficient for megathrust events (e.g., 2011 Tohoku had 40m runup, 5km inland) and can lead to fatal under-evacuation

generic

中文

海啸爬高和淹没距离因局部水深、地震震级和海岸地形而异；通用的10米/1公里指南对特大地震事件（如2011年东北地震，爬高40米，内陆5公里）不足，可能导致致命性疏散不足

Official Documentation

https://www.tsunami.gov/tsunami-safety/

Workarounds

  1. 92% success Use local tsunami evacuation maps (e.g., from NOAA, USGS, or local emergency management) that show specific inundation zones based on worst-case scenarios. Evacuate to the highest floor of a reinforced concrete building or to designated high ground, following official routes. 
    Use local tsunami evacuation maps (e.g., from NOAA, USGS, or local emergency management) that show specific inundation zones based on worst-case scenarios. Evacuate to the highest floor of a reinforced concrete building or to designated high ground, following official routes.
  2. 85% success During a tsunami warning, immediately move inland to at least 3 km or to an elevation of 30 meters above sea level, whichever is greater, and listen to emergency alerts for updates 
    During a tsunami warning, immediately move inland to at least 3 km or to an elevation of 30 meters above sea level, whichever is greater, and listen to emergency alerts for updates
  3. 78% success Check the earthquake magnitude: if >8.0, evacuate to at least 30m elevation or 5 km inland; if 7.5-8.0, 20m or 3 km; if <7.5, follow local maps 
    Check the earthquake magnitude: if >8.0, evacuate to at least 30m elevation or 5 km inland; if 7.5-8.0, 20m or 3 km; if <7.5, follow local maps

中文步骤

  1. Use local tsunami evacuation maps (e.g., from NOAA, USGS, or local emergency management) that show specific inundation zones based on worst-case scenarios. Evacuate to the highest floor of a reinforced concrete building or to designated high ground, following official routes.
  2. During a tsunami warning, immediately move inland to at least 3 km or to an elevation of 30 meters above sea level, whichever is greater, and listen to emergency alerts for updates
  3. Check the earthquake magnitude: if >8.0, evacuate to at least 30m elevation or 5 km inland; if 7.5-8.0, 20m or 3 km; if <7.5, follow local maps

Dead Ends

Common approaches that don't work:

  1. Evacuate to 10m elevation regardless of local warnings 80% fail

    User relies on generic 10m/1km rule from outdated tsunami safety pamphlets, ignoring local hazard maps

  2. Assume all tsunamis require same evacuation distance 75% fail

    User thinks tsunami warnings always have the same evacuation zone size, not accounting for earthquake magnitude

  3. Stay in that building without checking structural integrity or local inundation maps 85% fail

    User assumes a building 10m above sea level is safe because it survived previous small tsunamis