Although Guam is surrounded by a reef and has the Marianas Trench, a big misconception is thinking a tsunami won't happen here. Today is World Tsunami Day and Jenna Blas, public information officer with Guam Homeland Security Office of Civil Defense urges people to learn the signs of the catastrophic waves.

"I think the most important thing for people to remember are the warning signs of a tsunami so that they know what to look out for," she said. "The very first one is a very strong earthquake. You know here on Guam we experience so many earthquakes, even ones that are around our region so it's important to remember that even a distant earthquake can cause a tsunami to happen here on Guam. Another warning sign of a tsunami would be a very loud ocean roar. So if you're by the beach and you haven't heard a loud ocean roar before just sounds a little bit odd that's something to look out for as well. Also a sudden rise or fall from the ocean levels. So if you're out by the beach and you see the water start to recede a little bit or rise up very quickly that could be another warning sign that a Tsunami is coming."

Not all Tsunamis come with a preparation time, that's why knowing the signs ahead of time is important

"For a locally generated tsunami that can come from an earthquake that happens on Guam or close by," Blas said. "Those are the one's where we only have minutes to react. For a very distant earthquake, this is why it's important to recognize earthquakes that happen not only on Guam but around our region. We are always looking out for different types of earthquakes to see if a tsunami will be generated. Our office responsibility is to make sure the public is informed if there is a tsunami threat. We work very closely with our partners from the National Weather Service and the Pacific Tsunami Center to get those notifications. That way we are able to alert the community as quickly as possible. But for a local earthquake a locally generated Tsunami you may only have minutes."

Throughout the island, there are tsunami evacuation route signs directing residents to safer grounds. To find out more about safety precautions follow Guam Homeland Security on instagram or GHSOCD on Facebook.