Facts and Statistics
1. Tsunamis that strike coastal locations in the Pacific Ocean Basin are most always caused by earthquakes. These earthquakes might occur far away or near where you live.
2. Some tsunamis can be very large. In coastal areas their height can be as great as 30 feet or more (100 feet in extreme cases), and they can move inland several hundred feet.
3. All low-lying coastal areas can be struck by tsunamis.
4. A tsunami consists of a series of waves. Often the first wave may not be the largest. The danger from a tsunami can last for several hours after the arrival of the first wave.
5. Tsunamis can move faster than a person can run.
6. Sometimes a tsunami causes the water near the shore to recede, exposing the ocean floor.
7. The force of some tsunamis is enormous. Large rocks weighing several tons along with boats and other debris can be moved inland hundreds of feet by tsunami wave activity. Homes and other buildings are destroyed. All this material and water move with great force and can kill or injure people.
8. Tsunamis can occur at any time, day or night.
9. Tsunamis can travel up rivers and streams that lead to the ocean.
Tsunami Characteristics:
1.Time between wave crests can be between 5 to 90 min
2.Wave speed in the open ocean is about 450 miles per hour
3.Waves can reach heights of 100 ft near the shore
4.Tsunamis can originate thousands of miles away from coastal areas
Tsunami destruction:
1.The 1964 Great Alaskan earthquake generated tsunami wave heights between 20-23 ft in California, Oregon, and Washington.
2.Most commonly tsunamis are found along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, but in the last 100 years, one tsunami along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean was recorded.
3.Since 1945 more people have been killed in the United States as a result of tsunamis than as a direct result of an earthquake's ground shaking.
Images


Videos
Somewhere in Penang
Tidal Wave Aftermath
Two People Get Dragged Away
*Images and videos credit to Ogrish.com