How To Drive Away From a Tsunami

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I have no idea why so many of you sent me a link to this "How to Drive Away From a Tsunami" article but please, listen to me when I say that taking advice from some dude on the internet about outrunning a tsunami in your car is NOT a good idea.

This may be difficult when coastal highways often run perpendicular to the waves' direction. You want to avoid getting T-boned by a wave and having it roll you upside down, or having the rushing water hit you head-on — the force of which can easily smash your windshield.
 
I have a bad ass car with well over 550hp, I'm a good driver, I have family currently still missing in Japan and I saw 2012...none of that qualifies me to give you advice on how to avoid a tsunami. :rolleyes:
 
I have a bad ass car with well over 550hp, I'm a good driver, I have family currently still missing in Japan and I saw 2012...none of that qualifies me to give you advice on how to avoid a tsunami. :rolleyes:

Perhaps it doesn't, but sitting through all 2.5hrs of 2012 and living to tell the tale gives you the right to say anything you want. You should have a medal on your chest for that. ;)
 
You could carry a surfboard on top of your car for just such an occasion.
 
Just mount some cool hydraulics.

caronstiltsak4.jpg
 
"This may be difficult when coastal highways often run perpendicular to the waves' direction. You want to avoid getting T-boned by a wave and having it roll you upside down, or having the rushing water hit you head-on — the force of which can easily smash your windshield."

Geometry FAIL
I think he meant parallel, not perpendicular. Most roads are parallel and you want roads that are perpendicular because it would potentially get you AWAY from the wave the fastest.
 
"This may be difficult when coastal highways often run perpendicular to the waves' direction. You want to avoid getting T-boned by a wave and having it roll you upside down, or having the rushing water hit you head-on — the force of which can easily smash your windshield."

Geometry FAIL
I think he meant parallel, not perpendicular. Most roads are parallel and you want roads that are perpendicular because it would potentially get you AWAY from the wave the fastest.

The coastal highways are (generally) parallel to the shore, and therefore perpendicular to the waves are moving perpendicular to the shore. You also want to be moving perpendicular to the shore, so you don't want to be going perpendicular to the wave (in many cases, just driving by the shore isn't going to cut it, unless that takes you up a shoreline hill).
 
Here in Hawaii, you better watch which direction you're going, or else you can drive from one coast to another in a few minutes.
 
"This may be difficult when coastal highways often run perpendicular to the waves' direction. You want to avoid getting T-boned by a wave and having it roll you upside down, or having the rushing water hit you head-on — the force of which can easily smash your windshield."

Geometry FAIL
I think he meant parallel, not perpendicular. Most roads are parallel and you want roads that are perpendicular because it would potentially get you AWAY from the wave the fastest.

You fail.

If you are driving parallel to a beach you are indeed driving perpendicular to the incoming waves.

Which is what he said.
 
I'm thinking fast cars would make no difference when:

1. the road's all torn up from the 9.0 earthquake a few moments ago
2. everyone else is trying to get away from the tsunami as well - most of them on foot.

So yeah, use a bicycle or motorcycle, not a car.

Or get on the roof of the house and hope it floats with the tsunami instead of crumble from it and drown you.

:-P
 
I'm thinking fast cars would make no difference when:

1. the road's all torn up from the 9.0 earthquake a few moments ago
2. everyone else is trying to get away from the tsunami as well - most of them on foot.

So yeah, use a bicycle or motorcycle, not a car.

Or get on the roof of the house and hope it floats with the tsunami instead of crumble from it and drown you.


:-P

Not sure if thats a good idea...there was a picture I saw a couple of days ago of a house that floated out to sea after being hit by the Tsunami... :-P
 
ive always kinda wondered this. Is it really that unavoidable to get out of the kill zone of a tsunami?
 
I was thinking more along the lines of the surfing scene from Escape From L.A.
 
It can break your windshield? Really? How about carry away your whole damn car. And I thought I had read that the tsunami traveled up to 100 MPH once it hit ground. Good luck trying to outrun that.
 
Jeez, I guess I would just engage 4 wheel drive and drive away from the beach until I could not any more and then hop out and run like hell, hopefully up hill. The truck is insured, so am I, but I like living.
 
I have one of those 'emergency hammer/seatbelt-cutter combo mentioned in the article'. Only cost me 4 bucks too. Probably never need it but is a good tool to have for "just in case". Maybe one day I will need it to get someone else out of their car in an accident, you never know.
 
Most of the nay sayers should try actually reading the article as he does go into depth on what the article is really trying to say. Read it the other day as I always frequent Jalopnik, hands down the best car enthusiast website on the net. What he is trying to say is that if you MUST find yourself in a car during such an event, some little common sense MIGHT save your life. It isnt an end all catch all to what to do, just a situation that may happen and referencing some information you might want to know otherwise like recently reviewed attempts to free yourself from a sinking car (article references mythbusters of course). I dont care who you are, letting people know they might want to have an emergency glass breaker and seat belt cutter is just plain good stuff in my book. You never know is the idea and such practical knowledge really.
 
just have superman pushed your car as it might have water in tail pipe.

you can't find superman, no problem just open the glove compartment and he's in there somewhere.
 
The correct solution is to get a car that can turn into a submarine.

it still might not be enough as if it is filled with air, it can tumble and brake easily. and if not brake and submerge/at bottom you don't know how long you'll have before you run out of air to breath.
 
It can break your windshield? Really? How about carry away your whole damn car. And I thought I had read that the tsunami traveled up to 100 MPH once it hit ground. Good luck trying to outrun that.
You mean I can't use my 1988 Astrovan?
 
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