Tsunamis

The ____________________ are few , the signs are sudden , the ____________________ goes into ____________________ , a thunderous roar fills the air , and then , it ____________________ . And when it is ____________________ , nothing is left . A tsunami .
The word in Japanese means ? harbor wave ? . Japan has been ____________________ by many tsunamis in its history as a result of its ____________________ . It lies across the edges of 4 tectonic ____________________ where most ____________________ , the principal cause of tsunamis , are born .
When two tectonic plates ____________________ together , the resulting earthquake sends an enormous burst of energy up ____________________ the ocean , ____________________ enormous quantities of water .
A series of waves ____________________ in all directions . In ____________________ water these waves travel fast , up to ____________________ miles an hour , but only reach a ____________________ of a few feet . A passing ship might not even notice . But as the waves enter ____________________ waters , friction with the ocean floor ____________________ the waves' speed and ____________________ their height until at ____________________ they can ____________________ a ten - story building .
? get in ! Get in ! get in ! ?

Unlike ____________________ waves , a tsunami wave doesn't ____________________ and break . Instead , it advances like a wall of water that crashes over the ____________________ and everything in its way reaching even as far as a mile ____________________ .
More ____________________ is caused when the wave ____________________ , dragging everything in it back underwater and most tsunamis have multiple waves , each arriving anywhere from 10 to ____________________ minutes after the first strike , just when ____________________ think the danger is over .
The deadliest tsunami ever recorded ____________________ in December of ____________________ . An earthquake ____________________ the coast of Indonesia ____________________ a tsunami that surged across the Indian ocean and ____________________ as far as the coast of Africa . Whole sections of cities were ____________________ . More that 200 000 people died . Most had no way of being ____________________ .
5000 mile away , the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu is on call 24 hours a day to ____________________ a similar tragedy from happening in the United States . Scientists ____________________ tremors and quakes from around the globe . If a quake big enough to cause a tsunami occurs , it is their job to ____________________ the coastlines in the tsunami's ____________________ . The advice is simple : move to ____________________ ground , wait for news that the tsunami has passed and be ready to deal with the ruins left in its ____________________ .