Who tells the people to evacuate when a tsunami is coming?

Answer 1

Until recently, the only sure sign of an approaching tsunami was the water suddenly receding from the shore; when the water comes back, it does so with a vengeance! In fact, some vacationers from England were saved during the Indian ocean tsunami in 2004 when a young girl recognized the signs at their Malaysian beach, and warned her parents.

Recently, several nations including Japan and the USA have cooperated in deploying a network of tsunami warning buoys; the buoys, anchored in deep water, radio an alarm via satellite to shore stations when a tsunami wave is detected. By seeing the pattern of alerts, scientists are able to predict the arrival of the tsunami with some accuracy.

This doesn't help much when the earthquake is close to shore; the warning signals may be too late, because the wave may already be hitting the coast before the alarm is sounded.

Answer 2

In most cases, it is the responsibility of local government authorities, emergency management agencies, or national weather services to issue a tsunami evacuation order. These organizations closely monitor seismic activity and ocean conditions and are responsible for alerting the public through various communication channels, such as emergency alert systems, sirens, or mobile phone alerts. It is crucial for individuals to pay attention to these official warnings and follow the instructions provided to ensure their safety.