27K. You will need the free Flash plug-in to view this animation. So old-fashioned legwork still is the best defense against a tsunami. Because the height and inland reach of tsunamis can vary so much from one place to another along a coastline, it's not always so obvious. Scientists launch computer-simulated tsunamis at a digital representation of a coastline. This enables them to predict when the tsunami waves will hit the coast, how high they will be, and how far inland they will reach.
Local officials use the maps to plan evacuation routes and guide zoning decisions.