The Tsunami Hazard Program is used to tell if any tsunami waves are coming near a coastal area. It is a warning system to let people, who live along the shore that a dangerous wave is headed their way. If people can be warned to get out of the way of a tsunami wave, then they can get to a safe place. The Tsunami Hazard Program was developed so that fewer people would be killed by tsunami waves, and so that there would be fewer false tsunami warnings.

Special floating buoys are placed in areas where tsunamis often strike. Those buoys are called DART buoys and they can send a warning to scientists when a tsunami is coming. Dart Buoys send a signal to the GOES satellite that sits in orbit above the Pacific Ocean. When a tsunami wave passes a buoy, information is sent to the GOES satellite. Scientists can see where the wave is headed and how long the people who live in its path have to evacuate.

Text Bibliography:
Fema Factsheet: http://www.fema.gov/library/tsunamif.htm