Just can't imagine the people's bewilderment leading up to this event. I guess I now know to RUN.
But when you are a tourist how do you know WHERE to run to?
All of this is so very sad and scary.
I highly recommend the new Michael Crichton book "State of Fear". There are some riveting scenes in the book that deal with trying to outrun a tsunami. It's so ironic--I spent Christmas afternoon perched on some rocks, near Big Sur, watching the gray whales migrate and observing the sun as it set into the Pacific. I was closer than I should have been to the water but watched the waves very carefully and wedged myself in to the rocks tight in case the water reached me. The biggest danger would be a powerful rogue wave. I was thinking of the Crichton book and how I would be toast if a tsunami hit the west coast while I was sitting there.
I had no idea that the planet had suffered a massive quake and a tsunami was already building and heading towards the beaches in other parts of the world.
I think the only defense is to gain altitude as quickly as possible by running uphill as fast as you can. If you see the ocean suck all the water of a bay---that's a sign it's time to run like he** because the water will be coming back hard and fast.