You'd think we would have felt something. One 6.9 and a swarm of others less strong all happening around us. Buildings swayed 20 miles north in San Diego and throughout most of Baja but we didn't feel a thing. Nothing. Not even a wave in the pool.
If not for the automated Tsunami warnings we get from NOAA by e-mail, we wouldn't have known about it until we watched the news. So what do you do once you get a tsunami warning? You watch for the water to retreat exposing the ocean floor and if that starts to happen you head for the hills quick. Maybe. This house would probably be the only one left- and even then the garage and first floor would be cleaned out. We designed the house to handle three feet of water with minimal impact but who knows what 20 feet would do? The building has six concrete caissons going down to bedrock. The wall of water that would hit us would be free of debris- which is what causes most of the damage.
There are no posted "evacuation route" signs like stateside so people would know where to go (up). It would take us traveling five miles inland before we climbed any kind of hill for safety. Most locals wouldn't have a clue of what is going on or what to do. We all watched when the people in Phuket walked out on the dry ocean bottom- not knowing all that water is coming back at once.
So- faced with a Tsunami warning do you stay or do you go? We watch and stay. We would just worry too much about the house and the animals we left behind. So we would stay until we see the ocean floor and then make the decision to evacuate or ride it out. Won't know until it happens some day.
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