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Tsunamis
Prepare for an tsunami before it strikes - information to help you understand the dangers and what you can do before a disaster (information below).
Recover from a tsunami - recognize possible environmental hazards and what you can do to protect your and your family's health, and for commercial buildings and schools (information below).
General (non-emergency) information from NOAA.
Many of the links below go to sites outside EPA. 
Prepare for a tsunami.
A tsunami can strike suddenly, violently and without warning. Identifying potential hazards ahead of time and advance planning can reduce the dangers of serious injury or loss of life or harm to the environment.
National Tsunami Preparedness and Response Programs, from NOAA
Other sites
related to preparedness
Six ways to plan ahead
- FEMA
Prepare your home and family
- American Red Cross
Make a plan for natural disasters
- Ready.gov
Debris - Plan For Disaster Debris Communities can plan ahead for extra large amounts of waste and debris that results from disasters, including destroyed structures, hazardous waste, green waste, or personal property. More information
Chemical or fertilizer storage - Properly designed or modified storage facilities enhance worker safety and minimize the risk contamination.
After a tsunami.
Other sites
related
to recovery
After a tsunami - CDC
What do to before, during.
Recovering from disasters - FEMA
Natural disasters - Ready.gov
Expect more waves. Stay away from damaged areas. Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches, gasoline, or other flammable liquids immediately. More from FEMA
Protect your health and the environment:
- ALERT: Generator exhaust is toxic. Always put generators outside well away from doors, windows, and vents. Never use a generator inside homes, garages, crawlspaces, sheds, or similar areas. Carbon monoxide (CO) is deadly, can build up quickly, and linger for hours. More information
- Indoor air: Broken gas lines greatly increase the risk of fire, explosion, or poor air quality. If you smell gas, open windows and shut off the main gas line. Notify the utility or other authorities.
- Drinking water and food
- Boiling water information To kill all major water-borne bacterial pathogens, bring water to a rolling boil for 1 minute. Boil 3 minutes at elevations above 5280 ft (1 mile or 1.6 km). Getting and disinfecting water (fema.gov)
- Make sure older adults have enough water to drink. Older adults may feel thirsty less, and dehydration can be life threatening to an elderly person. More info...
- What to do about water from household wells after a flood . Do not turn on the pump - danger of electric shock. Do not drink or wash with water from the flooded well. More info. General info about household wells.
- Keeping food safe during an emergency. Don't test spoiled food by tasting it! (usda.gov)
- For water and wastewater facilities - Suggested activities to help facilities recover from severe weather conditions. Please note, the linked information is written for hurricane recovery but much of it will still apply to any recovery activities.
ALERT
Boil Drinking Water
If your water may not be safe, bring drinking water to a rolling boil for 1 minute to kill water-borne diseases.
More info | en español
Flooding and mold
- Flood cleanup: keeping air healthy inside Mold can cause serious health problems. The key to mold control is moisture control. After the flood, remove standing water and dry indoor areas. Remove and discard anything that has been wet for more than 24-48 hours.
- Safely cleaning a flood-damaged home from cdc.gov and Repair your flooded home from redcross.org
- Mold cleanup in schools and commercial buildings. information for building managers, custodians, and others who are responsible for commercial building and school maintenance.
- General - Mold, moisture, and your home
Pesticides, chemical and oil spills, hazardous waste
- Call the National Response Center 1-800-424-8802 (24 hours a day every day). For those without 800 access, please call 202-267-2675.
- Industries and businesses that encounter spills or discharges in the aftermath should contact the National Response Center immediately. You or your organization may have legal requirements for reporting or for taking other actions, depending on the spill.
- National Pesticide Information Center: 1-800-858-7378. Pesticide contacts
- General information about environmental emergencies
Debris
- What To Do With Disaster Debris - Disasters can generate tons of debris, including building rubble, soil and sediments, green waste (e.g., trees and shrubs), personal property, ash, and charred wood. How a community manages disaster debris depends on the debris generated and the waste management options available. Burying or burning is no longer acceptable, except when permission or a waiver has been granted, because of the side effects of smoke and fire from burning, and potential water and soil contamination from burial. Typical methods of recycling and solid waste disposal in sanitary landfills often cannot be applied to disaster debris because of the large volume of waste and reluctance to overburden existing disposal capacity. More information...
- Disposing of debris from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)