[kozika]

I happened to be visiting Miyagi just before the tsunami struck, and I was really panicked. When I got out of the car, everyone's smartphones nearby suddenly started beeping. A message in Japanese, saying something like "TSUNAMI EVACUATE NOW," sounded throughout the area. At the time, my phone displayed a warning that a three-meter tsunami would hit the area within an hour. I waited on slightly higher area for about two hours, but the locals kept going about their usual business, and there were no announcements from the nearby police.

Fortunately, nothing happened, but it's difficult to know which information to trust. Still, it's good that there's a system in place for evacuation alerts.