Why Tsunami Watch?
I spent the majority of a decade living in the Philippines, a stone's throw away from the Pacific Ocean. The Philippine Trench follows the east coast and is the source of many earthquakes throughout each year.
December 4th, 2023 at 10:37 PM, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck 60 miles from where I lived. I felt the quake and immediately started monitoring Tsunami.gov to find out where the earthquake was and if a tsunami warning would be issued.
After approximately 10 minutes, I saw the tsunami threat appear on Tsunami.gov. I immediately herded my family out the door to head for higher ground. We sounded the alarm throughout the neighborhood, then headed for the nearest peak.
Fortunately, a damaging tsunami was not generated by this quake.
But what if the quake had been far enough away that I wouldn't have felt it? What if it had sent a tsunami? I would have been sleeping when the waves came and likely would not have survived.
My thoughts went to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, which killed approximately 230,000 people and left millions homeless. The tsunami took between 15 minutes and 7 hours to reach affected coastlines. I realized I needed a system to provide tsunami alerts as quickly as possible — capable of waking me from a deep sleep. How many lives could have been saved in 2004 had a system like Tsunami Watch been available?
Thus, the concept of Tsunami Watch was born. It took two years, but finally the app took form. I feel great comfort having this app in my pocket, knowing it will alert me for any tsunami threat issued in my region, providing the information I need to keep my family safe.
I hope you find Tsunami Watch to be a valuable tool in your preparedness efforts and that you enjoy the comfort which comes with knowing that Tsunami Watch is on the job.