TSUNAMIS POSE A REAL DANGER
Amid rising sea levels and swelling coastal populations, tsunamis pose a greater threat with each passing year.
KEY TSUNAMI TRIGGERS
Tsunamis can be triggered by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, underwater landslides, land slumps into the ocean and meteorite strikes.
We can't prevent them; they are in nature’s hands
EARTHQUAKES
Earthquakes are the leading cause of tsunamis, giving rise to about 80% of them according to subject-matter expert Dr. Eddie Bernard, formerly of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Submarine landslides as well as land slumps into the ocean can give rise to tsunamis by suddenly displacing large amounts of ocean water, thereby triggering massive waves. Tsunamis caused by landslides are referred to as megatsunamis.
Meteorite strikes can also bring about devastating tsunamis. A key issue here is that scientists have not yet perfected the art of reliably monitoring all incoming meteorites.
LANDSLIDES
METEORITES
WE CAN`T STOP TSUNAMIS, BUT WE CAN PREPARE
There is nothing we can do to stop tsunamis.
The best we can hope for is to mitigate the damage by being prepared.
It’s up to each one of us to protect ourselves
and our loved ones.
AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION
TO A TRAGICALLY OVERLOOKED, BUT VERY REAL PROBLEM
INTRODUCING
TheTsunami APP
TheTsunami is a tsunami-preparedness app that will alert you the moment we detect a disturbance.
TSUNAMI
No threat has been detected
EVERYTHING'S OK
A low-level threat has been detected; we're monitoring the situation
ALERT
DETECTION
BUOY
EVACUATION
ROUTE
By tapping into a global network of buoys designed by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to detect tsunami-related disturbances at a moment’s notice, we can provide you with real-time alerts and all of the information you will need to protect yourself and your loved
ones when the big one hits.
HOW IT WORKS
LOW-LEVEL THREAT
ROUTE TO SAFETY
Follow this route to navigate your way to safety
RADAR AND COMPASS
Pinpoint your current location and use the app's compass to navigate your way to safety, even when you can't connect to the internet
A serious tsunami threat has been detected
A TSUNAMI IS APPROACHING
We will alert you when you've reached safety, or if you're already in the safe zone
SAFE ZONE
PRESS-KITS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami killed more than 230,000 people and displaced nearly 2 million across 14 countries.
The 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan claimed the lives of more than 15,000 people and had devastating consequences for society at large, ranging from meltdowns at the Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Plant to hundreds of thousands of fully or partially destroyed buildings.
To learn more about what happens on the ground when a tsunami hits, we sat down with Dr. Eddie Bernard, former director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL). Dr. Bernard is a world-renowned subject matter expert and consultant on matters pertaining to tsunami warning systems, mitigation, research and education.
Dr. Bernard explained that tsunami victims should do everything in their power to stay out of the water – whether that means carefully planning and executing an escape strategy well before the water hits, or sealing yourself into a tsunami capsule.
If you’re swept up into the water, you’ll be floating alongside a flurry of logs, cars and other heavy objects. According to Dr. Bernard, a common cause of death among people who are swept up into tsunamis is drowning as a result of being knocked out by heavy objects.
In addition, the water is typically toxic – filled with oil, antifreeze and worse. The surface of the water may be coated with flammable substances that can easily catch fire. Likewise, people who manage to ride out tsunami waves may themselves be coated in flammable substance and can easily become burn victims.
It is important to familiarize yourself in advance with the most hazardous places in your area, as well as the nearest safe zones and evacuation routes. According to the NOAA, most coastal communities should already have designated evacuation routes. Check with your local emergency authorities to find out if your area already has a plan in place.
The NOAA advises those affected by a tsunami to attempt to move 100 feet above sea level or one mile inland.
In the event of a tsunami, TheTsunami app will provide you with a comprehensive evacuation plan, showing you the nearest safe zone and details of how to get there. You will also be able to use TheTsunami app to map out your own evacuation route in advance.
According to Dr. Bernard, it’s inadvisable to drive. He pointed to an example during a Japanese tsunami when bumper-to-bumper traffic caused many people to abandon their cars in the middle of the road. This left many drivers who chose not to abandon their cars stranded when the tsunami hit.
He recommends fleeing on foot, by bicycle, or by any other means that will help you get to safety as quickly as possible.
Tsunamis are caused by sudden movements in the ocean. Most – approximately 80%, according to Dr. Bernard – occur as a result of earthquakes. Other causes include volcanic eruptions, underwater landslides, land slumps into the ocean and meteorite impacts.
To make TheTsunami app a reality, we need to gather funds in order to develop and fine tune the server. We plan to raise the funds we’ll need by March. Then, we’ll move forward with development. We plan to go live by mid-summer.
Founder Alexander Artyukhin has enjoyed a successful career in the financial sector, but he has always wanted to branch out and take on a project that will have a meaningful humanitarian impact. His lifelong passion for the environment and his drive to make a meaningful contribution to the world collided to produce TheTsunami.
It is Mr. Artyukhin’s goal to save lives and to educate all coastal inhabitants on the imperative of tsunami preparedness. He is developing this app to ensure that when disaster strikes, you’ll have the resources to protect yourself and your loved ones.
We will tap into a global network of buoys using the cloud database. This information will provide us with all of the necessary details of each tsunami, including speed, direction and height. Our servers will also process the topographic onshore and offshore landscapes of the coasts, enabling them to calculate which parts of each shore should expect to be flooded. Tthis modelallows us to project flooded zones with 80% accuracy.
During tsunami events, we only need to receive 100KB of data in order to assess the key risk parameters, so even a bad GPRS connection shouldn't be an obstacle for users seeking risk updates.
Calculating the route to the safe zone will require more data traffic than the initial messages, but if there is a shortage of GPRS signal (due to earthquake damages of cell phone stations, for example) the user can still use the app's built-in compass to navigate his or her way to safety.
Nope. After you install the app, it will remain dormant until needed, consuming about 1% of battery power each day.
Yes. Tsunamis are a genuine threat to coastal inhabitants all around the globe, and tsunami-related risks are on the rise with each passing year, due largely to growing coastal populations and rising sea levels.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, tsunamis occur at an average rate of twice annually, and destructive, ocean-wide tsunamis occur an average of once every 15 years.
Read on to learn more about the tragic consequences tsunamis can have.
How can I prepare for a tsunami?
If a tsunami strikes, should I run or drive?
How to tsunamis happen?
When will the app go live?
Why did you create TheTsunami app?
What is the technology behind TheTsunami?
Will the app consume a lot of space and battery power?
Will it work if I have a bad mobile connection?
CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN
We have the intention to launch a crowdfunding campaign
in 2017. Please support us and assist us in our efforts
to save the lives of many, many people. And share!
FOUNDER OF TheTsunami
Alexander spent years working as a banker and financier before shifting his focus to the startup world. He is the Chief Executive Officer of SnapExit, an innovative investment platform.
His lifelong passion for the environment and desire to contribute to an important cause inspired him to create TheTsunami. Alexander is a natural leader who thrives under pressure.
Alexander Artyukhin
APP RELEASE
The app is expected to hit stores in mid summer 2017
