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I wish I could find some definitive resources on whether or not a building would be considered safe in a tsunami, and if it would be better to go for higher flo

I wish I could find some definitive resources on whether or not a building would be considered safe in a tsunami, and if it would be better to go for higher floors or lower floors. I imagine that after such a large earth quake, many buildings would be unstable and potentially open to collapse from the force of a tsunami. I'm sure going to higher ground would be a better idea if possible, but say if it was iffy to get there in 10 minutes, should I spend that time looking for a high building instead or just get as far inland as possible?

ihsw 11y ago
In addition to the risk of total collapse, there's also the risk that the remaining floors would be impassable. Debris (furniture, broken walls, etc) can be a dangerous obstacle, especially when you have to traverse several/dozens of flights of stairs, much of which will be wet, muddy/dirty, and possible destroyed in some places. This danger magnifies when you have to evacuate large amounts of people of varying mobility (young, old, sick, or otherwise infirm). Entrances and exits will be serious obstacles if not outright impassable, due to large amounts of debris and unknown/unstable physical integrity. Tsunami evacuation and safety policies are outlined for movement and monitoring large groups of people, not just individuals. With regards of where you should go -- go outside and move to higher ground.
protomyth 11y ago
Remembering a lot of the video from Japan, it looked like most of videos were from people who went into parking garages (concrete)[1]. Regular buildings took a pretty big hit, but I'm not sure how the local building code / materials played in that. 1) I'm going with the logic that surviving video person uploading to youtube is probably a good sample of the "worked" side of the equation.
- pavedwalden 11y ago
  I suppose parking garages would let a lot of the water flow through the open sides, whereas a regular building would receive a lot of force against the exterior walls.
  - protomyth 11y ago
    Probably, and they are designed for a higher weight load than a regular building.
- matryoshka4811 11y ago
  That's really interesting. I guess when the 'big one' hits, those of us in my Sacramento apartment complex can go hang out next door with our cars in the garage. I wouldn't have thought of that myself honestly.

ihsw 11y ago

In addition to the risk of total collapse, there's also the risk that the remaining floors would be impassable. Debris (furniture, broken walls, etc) can be a dangerous obstacle, especially when you have to traverse several/dozens of flights of stairs, much of which will be wet, muddy/dirty, and possible destroyed in some places. This danger magnifies when you have to evacuate large amounts of people of varying mobility (young, old, sick, or otherwise infirm). Entrances and exits will be serious obstacles if not outright impassable, due to large amounts of debris and unknown/unstable physical integrity. Tsunami evacuation and safety policies are outlined for movement and monitoring large groups of people, not just individuals. With regards of where you should go -- go outside and move to higher ground.

protomyth 11y ago

Remembering a lot of the video from Japan, it looked like most of videos were from people who went into parking garages (concrete)[1]. Regular buildings took a pretty big hit, but I'm not sure how the local building code / materials played in that. 1) I'm going with the logic that surviving video person uploading to youtube is probably a good sample of the "worked" side of the equation.

pavedwalden 11y ago
I suppose parking garages would let a lot of the water flow through the open sides, whereas a regular building would receive a lot of force against the exterior walls.
- protomyth 11y ago
  Probably, and they are designed for a higher weight load than a regular building.
matryoshka4811 11y ago
That's really interesting. I guess when the 'big one' hits, those of us in my Sacramento apartment complex can go hang out next door with our cars in the garage. I wouldn't have thought of that myself honestly.