Preparing for the BIG ONE—
Developing a community tsunami-response plan
Grade Level: intermediate/middle school
Time: 2 class periods
National Science Education Standards:
Primarily: Content Standards F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
 Natural Hazards
 Risks and Benefits
Secondarily: Content Standard B: Physical Science
 Motion and forces
 Transfer of energy
Content Standards D: Earth and Space Science
 Structure of the Earth System
Other Standards Areas:
 Communication
 Geography
Learner Objectives:
Students will …
 analyze the risks associated with tsunamis
 identify and present concerns based on specific community roles
 suggest appropriate responses based on scientific information
 examine and interpret geographic features and human resources using a map
 practice skills to acquire information (reading and listening) and communicate effectively
(verbal presentation and written summaries)
Materials/Setup:
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Tsunami Planning Scenario
Roles Chart – large table to post jobs and student names
Job Descriptions -- information on students’ jobs, responsibilities, and background knowledge
Message pad – for city hall receptionist
Street map of coastal community (e.g., Seaside) -- should also identify the specific location of
each students’ assumed role for this activity (use numbered labels and a key)
Topographical maps of a coastal community for identifying elevation
Inundation zone maps
Tsunami response information (USGS -- Surviving a Tsunami …) & computer access
Designate areas of the room for “City Hall” (mayor, city department heads, USGS scientist)
and “City Library” (tsunami information & computer access)
Student Tsunami Response Forms
Introduction to Activity:
The devastation that results from a tsunami can far exceed the damage that resulted from the trigger
event that initiated these large ocean waves. The consequences will be both immediate (due to the size
and force of the waves) and long term (due to the loss of essential services, buildings, and economy).
In this activity, students assume different roles, representing specific positions within a coastal
community. Each student must consider the potential consequences of a tsunami and how it would
affect a person in their position.
Procedures:
1. The activity can be preceded by a reading activity*, video(s), or discussion on causes and
consequences of a tsunami. (See resources listed below.)
*Oregon Earthquake and Tsunami Curriculum (2000) includes a description of a tsunami that
hit Arica, Chile on August 8, 1868 by Lieutenant L. G. Billings of the ship U.S.S. Wateree.
Citation of original source: The Great Waves – Tsunami by Douglas Myles
2. The students are presented with a potential community tsunami planning scenario for a coastal
community (e.g. Seaside, OR)
3. Students randomly select roles. For each of the roles, students are provided background
information (their responsibilities, knowledge relevant to their positions), the location of their
facility/job/activity within the town, and resources available to them.
4. Students should study & evaluate their city maps and come to some conclusions based on their
knowledge of the situation, their location, and their positions. They should develop a
preliminary assessment based on this information. They may also visit the “City Library” to
examine additional information sources.
5. Additional information (warning time, earthquake magnitude, wave height, topographic maps
for the city, …), beyond that provided in the initial description of their role, can be distributed
through the specific roles (e.g., scientist  city officials  hotel owners  guests) or handed
out prior to or during the town hall meeting (e.g., evacuation brochures & inundation zone
maps).
6. Town hall meeting – Students gather to share their concerns and preliminary response plans.
Other students may ask questions or offer suggestions in order to help the student refine their
plan.
Outcome:
Students will conduct research and communicate with others in order to gain information on how to
respond in preparation for and in response to an earthquake/tsunami event. As a result of this process,
students will complete an initial assessment and a finalized emergency response plan. This plan will
identify their job, their responsibilities, and their recommended course of actions. Their responses will
be based on their role, the background information provided, independent research, and a simulated
town hall meeting. The responses should reflect actions and priorities that will help save lives and
minimize physical, economic and social damage to the community.
Tsunami Preparation & Response Scenario
“Seaside is considered Oregon’s most vulnerable community to a tsunami disaster due to its
summer crowds and low-lying geography. It has a residential population of 6,000, however,
during the summer months, the population can increase to 40,000 from the influx of tourists.
Most of Seaside is located in the tsunami inundation zone. Two river systems run through the
city parallel to the ocean, forming barriers to high ground. The majority of Seaside’s
population is located on the west side of the Necanicum River. This presents a critical
evacuation problem, because in a local tsunami event people would have to cross one or more
bridges and travel up to a mile within 30 minutes to get beyond the inundation zone.”
From the Introduction to “The City of Seaside’s Tsunami Awareness Program –
Outreach Assessment …,” written by Darci Connor, 2005.
(http://www.oregongeology.com/sub/pub&data/summaries/overview-intro-OFR-O-0510.pdf)
In this activity, you will take the role of a resident or visitor to one of Oregon’s favorite coastal
communities. Each role has a specific set of responsibilities, background information, and a
location within the city. Based on your role, you are to develop a tsunami response plan. This
plan will be presented to your classmates in the form of a town hall meeting, and a written
summary will be submitted to your teacher.
In order to fulfill your responsibilities, you will need to use a variety of resources. Begin with
your “Job Sheet,” which describes your role, and the “Street Map,” to find your location within
the city. In addition, some of the other roles that have been assigned may have information that
will be useful to you. However, you may not be able to contact some of these people directly –
after all, they are very busy people and can’t talk to everyone individually. For example, you
cannot contact the USGS geologist directly -- only the city officials (and the news reporter?)
are able to communicate with this individual. And, the mayor and other city department heads
are only available by appointment or through messages relayed through the city receptionist….
You may also examine information from the city library or use the library’s computer(s) to
access online information regarding tsunamis in developing your response plan.
For this activity, you should make preparations for a Cascadia great subduction earthquake
(M9+) that is forecast to happen sometime in the future. Such an earthquake could generate a
tsunami that reaches the coast in minutes. (Other tsunami scenarios are also possible, with
similar consequences. However, if the earthquake occurs elsewhere in the Pacific it is possible
that hours of advanced warning would be available, rather than just minutes.) These great
waves are large (tens of feet high as they reach the shore) and powerful (capable of washing
away houses and automobiles). There may be several waves that reach shore over a period of
hours and, depending on the local geography, they can wash up to a mile inland. There are both
immediate concerns (avoiding the waves) and long-term consequences (isolation; lack of food,
potable water, and shelter; destruction of homes, business, and city utilities) that will need to
be addressed in your preparations.
Your response plan should describe how you would keep yourself and those in your care safe
during a megaquake/tsunami event. Include in your planning specific actions that will be taken
before, during, and after such an event.
City Map
A black & white (photocopied) city map will be required that shows streets and the locations in which
each of the individuals might be located. The locations can be shown on the map with numbered
labels, and a legend indicating the associated roles. Sufficient detail should be shown that students can
determine their relative locations to intersections, landmarks, and/or beach. It is hoped that they will
be able to use this information to locate themselves on a topographical map (made accessible through
the City Library) and, eventually, on a map showing the inundation zones for the city. Finally, they
will need to use information from this map to describe a specific evacuation route
Tsunami Preparation: Student Roles
More detailed and specific information will need to be developed for the various roles (and additional
roles may be created). In order to add an additional layer of authenticity and to encourage more
communication between students (establishing the students as the knowledge holders, rather than just
the teacher), a hierarchy has been suggested in the communication process. Finally, some of the
community member roles can be duplicated to accommodate larger class sizes.
Teacher (State Governor)
 Teacher provides direction, support, and information to the mayor and USGS scientist, as
needed.
 Limit the assistance and information given directly to students. Rather, ask them where they
might go for answers.
USGS scientist
 Given additional, specific information regarding the characteristics and consequences of
tsunamis (epicenter of earthquake, distance to shore, speed of wave -- used to calculate time of
wave arrival; possible height of waves)
 Has access to USGS topographical maps
 Responsible for communicating important tsunami information to the city departments: time
until arrival of wave; inundation zone (elevation and distance for which tsunami waves can
travel), duration of the waves, consequences of a major subduction earthquake (destruction of
roads, downed power poles, damaged bridges, toppled buildings, …)
 Able to communicate with Governor (teacher) for additional direction and information
 Except for the town hall meeting, communicates information only to mayor or city department
managers
Mayor/town leader
 sets up and facilitates a meeting with the USGS scientist and city department heads
 facilitates town hall discussion & responsible for developing consensus on priorities
 presents questions and requests to teacher; relays information back to city department
managers
Emergency Planning Coordinator
 instructs other city department heads about limitations and difficulties in the event of a disaster
 distribute tsunami response brochures
Utilities Manager (power, water, sewer, …)
 informs others that there will be disruption in serves due to a major earthquake and subsequent
tsunami, including but not limited to loss of power, water, sewage treatment, garbage
collection, ….
 informs people of the need to turn off water, gas, ….
 Mentions to others the need for after event planning – getting essential services working again
 Need to preserve as much equipment as possible so that it will be available after an event for
resue and salvage operations
Transportation Director
 Reminds others of potential transportations issues as the result of a major earthquake and
subsequent tsunami -- roads will be damaged or clogged and people will not be able to drive to
a safe location
 Knowledge of evacuation routes, carrying capacity of roads, and public transportation
resources
 Information on how far and how fast people would be able to travel in different parts of the
city
 Conserve available transportation capacity for emergency vehicles and for transportation of
others unable to walk
Police Chief
 Concern with protecting lives and property
 Limited number of officers
 How to deal with inmates, staff, and citizens
 Provide direction and order preceding and during event
 Rescue and recovery of lives and property after event
National guard leader
 Often times the national guard are called in to offer aide in the event of a natural disaster
 National guard maintains equipment that is useful in recovery efforts
 National guard members may have special skills for dealing with emergency situations
City Hall receptionist
 contact person for citizens interested in communicating with city officials
 takes messages from the city residents and visitors & forwards requests to appropriate
departments
 Sets up individual appointments for meetings between officials and community members
 liaison between city and the public
 develop plan for warning the community
Librarian
 responsible for the “Tsunami Collection” – printed resources on tsunami response
 allocates and monitors computer time use
 provided with a list of websites to assist students
 USGS map or websites with topographic information should be available
 would be responsible for evacuating library of patrons and staff
Television news reporter
 on the beach filming activities related to a sand castle building contest
 has a direct feed to the television station
 job of a reporter is to present stories and events that are of interest and inform the viewing
public
 reporters have access to a variety of communication resources
 optional: reporters may be given special access to government officials and other news sources
(USGS scientist, Governor/teacher)
Elementary School Administrator
 Responsible for the safety of students and staff
 ½ of the student are bussed to school, the rest walk or are driven
High School teacher
 Responsible for the safety of students and staff
 ½ the students are bussed to school, the rest walk or drive themselves
Preschool teacher/administrator
 Children are very young
 Unable to walk long distances
 Parents are working or unable to pickup children
Police Officer
 Provide security and support during and after an event
 In your squad car, near the beach, during an event
Hospital Administrator
 Responsible for the safety of patients and staff (doctors, nurses, administrative/financial,
custodial, …)
 Many patients have limited mobility and critical care needs
 Two story building. Each floor is approximately 10 ft in height
 Provide medical support and services following an event
 Have access to emergency transportation vehicles – ambulances, helicopter services
Harbor master (not found at Seaside, but associated with many other coast communities)
 Approximately 100 boats, both commercial and private are moored at your facility in the bay
Fisherman
 Aboard his/her boat maintaining equipment
 Family is in the community and the kids are at school
 Your boat is your primary source of family income
Bank manager
 Customers and staff
 Financial records, safety deposit boxes, on-site case
Grocery store owner
 store patrons and personnel
 store contains food and supplies
Souvenir Shop manager
 small staff (2 employees on duty during the day)
 most patrons are out-of-town visitors with little or no knowledge of tsunamis
 your home and family are across town
 you take public transportation or ride your bike to work
Motel (along beachfront) owner
 Responsible for hotel occupants (200 guests) and 12 staff members
 Motel has 3 floors; each floor is approximately 10 ft in height
 Overnight rates reflect the motels position: Best views of the beach and ocean in town!
Hotel (inland) owner
 The hotel is near the highway, 8 blocks away from the beach
 Responsible for hotel occupants and staff
 Hotel has 3 floors. Each floor is approximately 10 ft in height.
Tourist
 Tourist is in town on vacation and is enjoying a day on the beach with the family (& dog),
flying kites, wading in the surf
 Staying at beach front motel with car parked in the underground garage
 All your belongs are in your motel room
 Your feel the ground shake, but don’t hear and warning signals
Other Roles … to be identified and developed
Sample Job Assignments:
Job
USGS Scientist
Mayor
Transportation Director
Utilities Manager
Police/Fire Chief
City Hall receptionist
Librarian
Store Owner
Tourist
Student
Pre & Post Quiz
1.
Tsunamis are extraordinarily large waves caused by storms in the ocean -- often so far
away that you can’t even see the storms that formed them. T or F
2.
You are on an ocean beach and feel an earth quake. The ocean is calm and the tsunami
sirens have not gone off. You are safe and don’t need to worry. T or F
3.
You’re on the beach and see a large wave (tsunami) approaching. You’ll be okay if you run
as fast as you can to reach a safe location. T or F
4.
Like hurricanes, coastal communities will generally have at least one days notice to prepare
for the arrival of a tsunami. T or F
5.
If your family lives (or is visiting) a coast community, and the tsunami warning sirens go
off, your family should get in a car and drive as fast as possible to high ground? T or F
6.
Once a tsunami has washed up on the shore, it is safe to return to the beach. T or F
Student Response/Summary
Student Name:
Preliminary Assessment:
Job:
Responsibilities:
Where are you located in the city? (describe by intersection, proximity to landmarks, …)
What is the elevation at which you are located? What is your distance from the ocean?
How safe is this location? How do you know? (compare to inundation map, or refer to description of
tsunami wave height/runup, …)
How far would you need to travel (using existing road routes – not as the bird flies) to reach a safe
location?
What will you need to do to make yourself and others safe? (These are generalized goals – you will
identify specific actions to reach these goals in your finalized response plan.)
Finalized Response Plan:
Develop a tsunami response plan: (Include at least 5 specific actions you would take to make yourself
and/or those for whom you are responsible safe. How do you plan to make yourself and those you are
responsible for safe from a possible tsunami? (These should reflect before, during, and after event
activities.) Justify your actions based on information that has been presented or researched.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Extensions:
1. Have students dress up for the town hall meeting
2. Based on information presented at the town hall meeting, describe the responsibilities and
responses of two other student roles
3. Invite someone from the community to share with the students about disaster preparedness
4. Written response: How could this tsunami information help you prepare for future visits to the
beach?
5. Written response: How can science & technology help us in preparing for and dealing with
tsunamis?
6. Make a poster warning/informing people about the dangers posed by tsunamis
7. Concept map – based on the topic of tsunami, organize additional information based on causes,
characteristics, consequences, responses
8. Pre-activity and post-activity quizzes to assess prior knowledge and acquired learning
Resources:
1. Education Planet’s “Tsunami Resources for Teachers”
(http://www.educationplanet.com/tsunami.html)
2. International Tsunami Information Centre (http://ioc3.unesco.org/itic/)
3. K-12 Tsunami Curriculum – download link available on ITIC website
(http://ioc3.unesco.org/itic/categories.php?category_no=158)
4. KATU 2 News – Tsunami: Northwest Reality Check
(http://www.katu.com/news/nw_tsunami.asp). News stories and information about tsunami
readiness along the Oregon Coast and Washington State’s Long Beach Peninsula. Includes
news videos, graphics, and links to tsunami evacuation maps, and links to other resources.
5. NOAA Tsunami website (http://www.tsunami.noaa.gov) – links to tsunami information,
research and education
a. Tsunami Information for Kids (http://www.tsunami.noaa.gov/kids.html)
b. Tsunami Teacher Resources (http://www.tsunami.noaa.gov/teacher-resources.html)
c. Tsunami Education Resource Kit – TERK (http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/terk_intro.htm)
6. Oregon Coastal Atlas - Tsunami Hazard webpage
(http://www.coastalatlas.net/learn/topics/hazards/tsunami/). Includes a small .gif animation of a
hypothetical tsunami along the Pacific NW Coast, tsunami evacuation maps for Oregon coastal
communities, KATU tsunami readiness video clips for 6 coastal communities, and links to
additional tsunami websites (NOAA, Oregon Geology, …)
7. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (http://www.oregongeology.com)
d. Tsunami! Know how to survive on the Oregon coast (.pdf document downloadable
from the OR Dept of Geology & Mineral Industries
e. Tsunami Hazard Maps for the Oregon Coast …
(http://www.oregongeology.com/sub/earthquakes/Coastal/Tsumaps.HTM)
8. The Orphan Tsunami of 1700—Japanese Clues to a Parent Earthquake in North America.
Brian Atwater, et. al. (http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/pp1707/)
9. Recurrence intervals for great earthquakes of the past 3,500 years at northeastern Willapa Bay,
Washington. Atwater, Brian F.; Hemphill-Haley, Eileen. 1997. USGS Professional Paper
#1576.
Available online. (http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/usgspubs/pp/pp1576)
10. Seaside Visitor Bureau website (http://www.seasideor.com) – will need to click the link for
“Local Info”, then click the “Tsunami Info” link. The information is in a Q&A format.
11. Surviving a Tsunami – Lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan (USGS publication). Also
available online as downloadable .pdf file. (http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/c1187/)
12. Tsunami videos: NOVA, Discovery, Oregon Field Guide – Episode #1603, Oct. 21, 2004
(http://www.opb.org/programs/ofg/episodes/season16/1603)
13. Washington State Department of Natural Resource: Tsunami information webpage
(http://www.dnr.wa.gov/geology/hazards/tsunami.htm) and tsunami evacuation brochures
(http://www.dnr.wa.gov/geology/hazards/tsunami/evac/)