Surviving a tsunami : lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan / compiled by Brian F. Atwater ... [et al.].

"National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program"--Cover.

"Prepared in cooperation with Universidad Austral de Chile, the University of Tokyo, the University of Washington, the Geological Survey of Japan, the Pacific Tsunami Museum, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and the International Tsunami Information Centre"--Cover.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 17-18).

The 1960 tsunami and the earthquake in Chile that caused it -- Similar tsunamis, similar strategies for survival -- Lessons learned.

"This book contains true stories that illustrate how to survive - and how not to survive - a tsunami. It is meant for people who live, work, or play along coasts that tsunamis may strike. Such coasts surround most of the Pacific Ocean but also include other areas, such as the shores of the Caribbean, eastern Canada, and the Mediterranean. The stories provide a mixed bag of lessons about tsunami survival. Some illustrate actions that reliable saved lives - heeding natural warnings, abandoning belongings, and going promptly to high ground and staying there until the tsunami is really over. Others describe taking refuge in buildings or trees or floating on debris - tactics that had mixed results and can be recommended only as desperate acts."