A devastating tsunami occurred off the coast of Hokkaidō in Japan as a result of an earthquake on July 12, 1993. As a result, 202 people on the small island of Okushiri, Hokkaido lost their lives, and hundreds more were missing or injured. This tsunami struck just three to five minutes after the quake, and most victims were caught while fleeing for higher ground and secure places after surviving the earthquake. This was also the case in Aceh, Indonesia. While there remains the potential for sudden devastation from a tsunami, warning systems can be effective. For example, if there were a very large subduction zone earthquake (moment magnitude 9.0) off the west coast of the United States, people in Japan, would therefore have more than 12 hours (and likely warnings from warning systems in Hawaii and elsewhere) before any tsunami arrived, giving them some time to evacuate areas likely to be affected. See also Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) Disaster risk reduction Sound Fixing and Ranging (SOFAR) channel References External links International Tsunami warnings delivered to mobile phones A 24/7 mobile SMS Integrated Tsunami Watcher Service How does the Tsunami Warning System Work? National Tsunami Warning Center NOAA Tsunami Warnings and Forecasts Tsunami Warning Signs on the Enshu Coast of Japan Shore & Beach, Vol. 78, No. 1, pp. 52–54, 2010 Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre Warning systems Warning system