INDIAN HARBOUR BEACH, Fla. – A tsunami may be monstrous, a behemoth the size of a multistory condominium that takes out a whole town.
The one that struck Japan in 2011 and killed almost 20,000 people certainly fit the common perception, with 30-foot waves battering the coastline and causing a nuclear plant meltdown.
But tsunamis aren't always that big, and even small ones can be enough to cause real harm, according to experts like National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Spratt, who specializes in warning coordination at the Melbourne facility.
What is most likely to hit Brevard County?
The waves most likely to hit Brevard County would be under 10 feet, but could still cause considerable damage to people and their homes, Spratt said.
Anyone in Indian Harbour Beach who heard what sounded like old-time air raid sirens Tuesday knows exactly what it would sound like if a tsunami were to hit their town, reports News 6 partner Florida Today. Those sirens were part of the TsunamiReady drills conducted by the town and the National Weather Service, Melbourne.
Spratt and his team have been assisting the town of Indian Harbour Beach with its tsunami preparedness since 2005, conducting drills and exercises to keep its TsunamiReady status every three years.
Currently, very few areas of Florida are prepared for a tsunami and Indian Harbour Beach is the only community in Brevard County with the designation, Spratt said.
"In many instances, some members of the community feel the emphasis should be placed on other priorities," Spratt said, "but my feeling is that individual communities should be ready for all hazards that occur."
Priorities to be prepared for a tsunami
TsunamiReady means three top priorities for Indian Harbour Beach:
- Getting people out of the water,
- Getting them off the beach
- Getting everybody west of State Road A1A or onto an upper floor of a concrete building closer to the beach.
When the sirens sound, it means people need to get away from the shoreline and across S.R. A1A, which Spratt said would likely be the limit for any flooding.