LISTEN: Why ignoring tsunami warnings, even after ‘false’ alarms, could kill you

The 2011 tsunami in Japan destroyed several several communities and killed 20,000. Photo: Liz Ruskin

Alaskans can get tsunami warnings in different ways, from cellphone alerts, to radio and TV messages, to actual sirens in many coastal communities.

But what if — time after time — they evacuate, only to find out later the resulting tsunami was only an inch or two high?

Experts like Humboldt State University Geologist Lori Dengler say, even so, they hope anyone in a tsunami zone knows their life could be in danger and they should be ready to evacuate.

Dengler says, first, people should also know that if they feel prolonged shaking in a coastal area, they should head to higher ground.

LISTEN HERE:

a portrait of a man outside

Casey Grove is host of Alaska News Nightly, a general assignment reporter and an editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach him atcgrove@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Caseyhere

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