Once the coastal residents receive tsunami warning
message, they need to know what it means, and where
to evacuate. Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning “harbor
wave,” but few people around the Indian Ocean knew the
word before the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It has been
used internationally since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
An effective tool to guide coastal residents for evacuation
is a hazard map showing the tsunami risk zones. Possible
flooding zones and safe evacuation places such as tsunami
shelters can be shown in the hazard maps. One of the lessons
learned from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is that
not only coastal residents but also foreign tourists need to
be informed about tsunami hazards. In the Hawaiian
Islands, tsunami hazard maps are prepared and published
in the local phone books that are available at every hotel
room. Those in high-rise hotel buildings are advised to
move vertically to the third or higher floors, rather than
horizontally moving out of the possible flooding area.