Structural mitigation measures to reduce tsunami risk?

Answer 1

Regions with a high risk of tsunamis may use tsunami warning systems now available to detect tsunamis and warn the general populace before the wave reaches the coasts. In some communities on the west coast of the United States, which is prone to Pacific Ocean tsunamis, warning signs advise people where to run in the event of an incoming tsunami. Computer models can roughly predict tsunami arrival and impact based on information about the event that triggered it and the shape of the sea floor and the coastal landmass. One of the early warnings comes from nearby animals. Many animals sense danger and flee to higher ground before the water arrives.

While it is not possible to prevent a tsunami, in particularly tsunami-prone countries some measures have been taken to reduce the damage caused on the shores Japan has implemented an extensive programme of building tsunami walls of up to 4.5m (13.5ft) high in front of populated coastal areas. Other localities have built floodgates and channels to redirect the water from incoming tsunamis. However, their effectiveness has been questioned, as tsunamis are often higher than the barriers. For instance, the tsunami which hit the island of Hokkaido on July 12, 1993 created waves as much as 30m (100ft) tall - as high as a 10-storey building. The port town of Aonae was completely surrounded by a tsunami wall, but the waves washed right over the wall and destroyed all the wood-framed structures in the area.

The wall may have succeeded in slowing down and moderating the height of the tsunami but it did not prevent major destruction and loss of life. Yet the effects of a tsunami can be mitigated by natural factors such as tree cover on the shoreline. Some locations in the path of the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami escaped almost unscathed as a result of the tsunami's energy being sapped by a belt of trees such as coconut palms and mangroves. In one striking example, the village of Naluvedapathy in India's Tamil Nadu region suffered minimal damages and few deaths as the wave broke up on a forest of 80,224 trees planted along the stretches of seacoasts that are prone to tsunami risks.

Answer 2

The structers have to be very strong to stand up to a force like a tsunami. I really depends how strong the tsunami is and how intellegent the architects are.