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A useful earthquake-and-tsunami plan tells every household member where the hazards are, what to do during shaking, when to evacuate without waiting for an alert, how to communicate when separated, and which supplies and pets must move with the family. Start with current local evacuation maps and emergency-management instructions for your home, school, work, and regular destinations; then write the decisions down and practice them.
1. Map the hazards for every place your family uses
Do not create one generic route and assume it works everywhere. A household can be in different risk zones during the same day: children may be at school, adults at work, and another family member driving near the coast. Check current earthquake information and tsunami-hazard or evacuation maps for each regular location, including home, school, childcare, workplaces, relatives’ homes, places of worship, and frequently visited coastal areas.
Local maps and emergency-management directions take precedence over general advice. They identify the boundary of the evacuation zone, designated routes, assembly areas, shelters, and any officially approved vertical-evacuation structures. Do not assume that any tall building is safe. If a map is hard to interpret or a route is not clear, ask the local emergency-management office.
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| Regular location | Hazard or evacuation information | Safe destination | Primary route | Backup route and meeting point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Record whether the address is inside a tsunami evacuation zone and note earthquake-related access problems. | A destination outside the mapped zone or another location identified by local officials. | Route that can be walked from the home. | A second route and a place to reunite if household members separate. |
| School or childcare | Use the institution’s evacuation map and release procedures. | The school’s designated safe area or approved destination. | The route children and staff will use. | How an adult will be authorized to collect a child and where to meet. |
| Workplace | Check the building’s earthquake and tsunami procedures. | The workplace’s designated safe location or an official destination. | A walking route that does not depend on an intact bridge or road. | A family meeting arrangement if roads or transit are closed. |
| Frequent coastal destinations | Check the local map before visiting; boundaries can differ between communities. | The nearest locally designated high ground or inland destination. | The signed evacuation route from the actual starting point. | A second signed route and a way to identify the group after arrival. |
Prefer walking routes where feasible. Earthquake damage, debris, road closures, bridge damage, power failures, or traffic can make driving slow or impossible. Walk each route with the people who may need to use it, notice steep sections and barriers, and practice in darkness or bad weather when it can be done safely. Keep a printed map because a phone may be damaged, uncharged, or unable to connect.
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2. Decide what everyone does during earthquake shaking
The immediate protective action is drop, cover, and hold on. Drop to your hands and knees, cover your head and neck under a sturdy table or desk if one is nearby, and hold on until the shaking stops. If no sturdy cover is available, protect your head and neck with your arms and move away from windows, glass, and objects that can fall. Practice this response in every room, at work, and at school.
Make the action automatic
- Do not run outside while the ground is shaking; falling glass, masonry, signs, and other objects can make exits dangerous.
- Expect aftershocks. Repeat drop, cover, and hold on whenever the ground shakes again.
- Teach children the words and the physical movement, including how to protect their head and neck if they are not near a table.
- Ask workplaces, schools, and childcare providers how they account for people after shaking and include those procedures in the family plan.
A tsunami can follow a coastal earthquake, but not every earthquake produces one. The family must be ready to switch from earthquake protection to evacuation if natural tsunami signs appear or officials issue an instruction.
3. Know when natural tsunami warnings require immediate evacuation
In a tsunami hazard or evacuation zone, a natural warning may be the first, best, or only warning that a tsunami is coming. Leave as soon as it is safe to move if any of these signs occur:
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- A loud roar from the ocean.
- Unusual water behavior, such as water rapidly rising, a wall of water, or a sudden drawdown that exposes the seafloor.
Do not wait for a siren, phone alert, or official message when natural signs are present. Move quickly to locally designated high ground or inland, following marked routes. Stay away from beaches, harbors, rivers, and other waterways. Take household members and pets if they are immediately reachable, but do not delay evacuation to collect belongings.
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If you are outside the mapped zone
If you are outside the tsunami hazard or evacuation zone and receive a warning, remain where you are unless local officials direct you to move. Do not self-evacuate into a hazard area or toward the coast. If your location is near the boundary or you cannot determine where you are, use the current local map and follow emergency-management instructions.
Vertical evacuation is location-specific
Some communities designate a building or other structure for vertical evacuation where high ground is not nearby. Use one only when local officials identify it as part of the evacuation plan. A tall building that has not been designated or assessed for this purpose is not automatically a safe destination.
4. Create a communication and reunion plan for separation
Assume that family members will be in different places and that normal calls may fail. Write down how each person will report being safe, who will make decisions for children, and where people will reunite after an evacuation.
Choose contact methods and an out-of-area decision point
- Choose a primary method, such as text messaging, and a backup method, such as a voice call or an agreed messaging service that works for your household.
- Identify a person or place outside the affected area who can relay information if local networks are congested. Record the contact details on paper and in each person’s phone.
- Decide what a short message means, for example, a check-in that states the person’s location, condition, and intended destination.
- Set a time and place for the first reunion and a backup reunion point outside the hazard zone. Make the instructions simple enough for a child to follow.
- Give schools, childcare providers, and workplaces the emergency contacts and authorized pickup information they require. Ask how they release children and where they send them.
Use the institution’s procedures rather than trying to reach a child by driving into a closed area. Tell all adults who may collect a child about the authorization rules and carry identification if the institution requires it.
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Review the plan every year and after major changes
The NOAA-hosted household handbook recommends discussing and practicing the plan annually and updating it after a major change, such as a new school or workplace. Also update it after a move, a new medical or mobility need, a change in pet care, a new phone number, or a change to local evacuation maps.
5. Set up several ways to receive official information
Use multiple channels because power, cellular service, internet access, and local infrastructure can fail differently. Sign up for your local emergency-alert service and leave wireless emergency alerts enabled on compatible phones. Keep a battery-operated NOAA Weather Radio as a dedicated source of official information, and keep spare batteries available.
| Channel | How to prepare | What it can and cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| Local emergency alerts | Register every eligible household member and keep contact details current. | Provides local instructions, but registration methods and coverage vary by community. |
| Wireless emergency alerts | Check phone settings and keep the feature enabled. | Can deliver government alerts when supported; a phone alert is not guaranteed to arrive before a local tsunami. |
| NOAA Weather Radio | Keep a battery-operated radio accessible and test it periodically. | Provides official broadcasts when other communication systems are unavailable, provided the signal reaches your area. |
| Local radio and television | Keep a portable radio and know which local stations carry emergency information. | Useful during outages, but requires a working receiver and local broadcast coverage. |
| Sirens, officials, texts, and telephone notifications | Learn what your community uses and what the warning sounds or messages mean. | These supplement, rather than replace, awareness of natural tsunami signs. |
When channels disagree, follow current instructions from local emergency officials. Keep the radio, phone power bank if you use one, and written contacts where they can be reached without searching through a damaged home.
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6. Assemble portable supplies that match your household
Keep an easily accessible portable disaster-supplies kit. You can combine an emergency kit and an evacuation bag or keep them separate; the important test is whether you can grab what you need without crossing an unsafe area. Useful supplies already at home do not need to be replaced simply because they were not purchased as a prepackaged kit.
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Core supplies
- Water and emergency food appropriate for the household.
- Flashlight, backup batteries, and a portable radio.
- Whistle, work gloves, dust masks, and eye protection.
- Blanket and poncho or other protection from weather.
- Prescription medicines, essential medical items, and copies of critical information.
- Phone chargers or other power sources used by the household.
- Printed maps, emergency contacts, identification information, and local instructions.
Tailor the contents to children, older adults, allergies, medication schedules, mobility equipment, communication needs, and local weather. Keep supplies where every responsible household member can find them, not only in a locked vehicle or a room that may be inaccessible after shaking.
Distribute supplies across locations
| Location | Why it matters | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Supports sheltering, information, and a rapid departure. | Keep the kit accessible and refresh food, water, medicines, batteries, and documents. |
| Car | A vehicle may be stopped far from home when roads are damaged or closed. | Carry a compact set of information, basic supplies, and weather protection without assuming the car can reach the evacuation destination. |
| Workplace | Adults may need to walk from work or remain there temporarily. | Follow the employer’s supplies and evacuation procedures and keep personal necessities available. |
| Children’s locations | Children may evacuate with school or childcare staff. | Confirm what the institution supplies, what families must provide, and how reunification works. |
| Pets | Pets may not be accepted at every shelter or destination. | Plan carriers or leashes, food, water, medicines, identification, and a destination that accepts the animals. |
7. Include pets, medical needs, and accessibility from the beginning
Do not treat special requirements as an add-on. Decide who carries a child, who assists a person using a mobility device, how medication is transported, and how a service animal or pet travels. Ask schools, workplaces, and local emergency managers about accessible routes, transportation assistance, shelter policies, and communication formats.
- Keep mobility aids, glasses, hearing-device batteries, and critical medicines together with the portable kit.
- Use carriers, harnesses, leashes, and identification for pets; animals can behave unpredictably after shaking.
- List language, visual, hearing, cognitive, and dietary needs in the household plan and tell the institutions responsible for family members.
- Identify neighbors or relatives who can help if a household member is alone when an evacuation starts.
Practice the actual equipment and route. A plan that depends on an elevator, a narrow gate, a vehicle, or a person who may be absent needs a backup.
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8. Practice the plan as a sequence, not just a conversation
- Run an earthquake drill. At home, school, or work, practice dropping, covering the head and neck, and holding on until the imagined shaking stops.
- Start the tsunami decision. Announce a simulated strong or long earthquake. Ask each person to identify whether the location is in the tsunami evacuation zone.
- Walk the route. Move to the designated high ground, inland destination, or officially identified vertical-evacuation structure. Practice on foot where possible.
- Test reunification. Have members start from their normal daytime locations and use the agreed contact and meeting instructions.
- Check supplies and alerts. Test the radio, flashlight, spare batteries, contact cards, pet equipment, and medical items without consuming emergency stock.
- Record problems. Note blocked paths, confusing signs, inaccessible stairs, missing contacts, or supplies that are too heavy, then revise the written plan.
Repeat the discussion and practice at least annually and whenever the household’s locations or needs change. Include night and bad-weather conditions when safe, because a route that works in daylight may be difficult to recognize after an earthquake.
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9. Follow a clear after-event decision process
After the shaking
- Expect aftershocks and use drop, cover, and hold on again.
- Check for immediate injuries and hazards without entering a badly damaged structure.
- Stay away from fallen power lines and damaged buildings, bridges, piers, and other structures.
- Use the planned communication method when it is safe, keeping messages brief so networks remain available.
After a tsunami warning or evacuation
Remain outside the tsunami hazard or evacuation zone until local officials say it is safe to return. The first wave may not be the last or the largest, and dangerous waves and currents can persist for hours or days. Do not return because the water appears to have receded or because a single wave has passed. Follow the official all-clear and any re-entry instructions before going back for people, pets, vehicles, or property.
10. A one-page plan you can print
Put these decisions on one sheet for each household member:
- Home, school, work, and other regular locations, with their hazard-zone status.
- Primary and backup walking routes from each location.
- Safe destinations, assembly areas, and any locally designated vertical-evacuation structure.
- Primary contact method, backup method, out-of-area contact, and reunion points.
- School, childcare, and workplace release procedures.
- Where the home, car, workplace, and pet supplies are stored.
- Medical, accessibility, language, child-care, and pet arrangements.
- The instruction to evacuate immediately for natural tsunami signs and to stay away until officials give the all-clear.
Keep a copy with each portable kit and give copies to caregivers or relatives who may need to help. Review it against current local maps and instructions rather than relying on an old route.
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