The sea was angry that day my friends… tsunami warning sign out front shoulda told ya!
Orange Agent
Indonesia’s got it all: volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, sometimes all at once as in the devastating explosion of Krakatoa in 1883. By now, both natives and visitors know the signs of an incoming tsunami… and they’ve got bright orange signs that tell them or show them what to do in case of emergency. (image at top via Tracy Hunter and above via Map of the Urban Linguistic Landscape)
Calm Before the Storm Surge
The so-called Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 sparked by the 9.2M Indian Ocean Earthquake featured tidal waves almost 100 feet high and was responsible for an enormous loss of life across a large portion of the globe, most especially near the quake’s origin off the coast of Indonesia. All things considered, tsunami warning signs like the one above don’t appear to express much urgency in the event of another such disaster. (image via Selamat Made)
Can U Dogpaddle?
Won’t someone think of the dogs and cats? Well yeah, they are, just not in a good way if you know what we mean (and we think you do). Fact is, our animal friends have been known to “anticipate” natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Who needs a warning sign when you’ve got a Weimaraner, one might say. (image via NOAA Photo Library)
Running Water
When a tsunami’s barrelling down on you, there’s no time for niceties and committee-conceived PC sign-speak. Kudos to whomever had the cojones to slip this say-it-like-it-is sign under the radar and install it in the area of Agate Beach, Oregon. You remember Oregon, the state where beached whale carcasses are dynamited causing onlookers to – you guessed it – run like hell. (image via Jeff Moser)
To The Escape Building!
Conventional wisdom (and most tsunami warning signs) advise readers to escape to higher ground before they get swamped. This common-sense advice hits a snag when there’s no higher ground around. What do? Make for the Tsunami Escape Building, of course! The dozen-story edifice shown above is located in Hakodate, Japan, and would seem to be a valid option should the klaxons start blaring. Umm, hopefully somebody’ll shut all those open windows before the wave arrives. DOH! (image via amanderson2)
Wondering where all those tsunami escape routes lead to? Check out Wind Does: Innovative Indian Ocean Cyclone Shelters!
