The Dec. 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster is a bitter lesson. We understand so much more, at a terrible cost. Too many videos with the tsunami first glimpsed as a small ripple in the distance, coming closer, growing larger, until complacent beachgoers are overtaken unaware and swept up in the sudden rush of water; the horrible realization dawning on the photographers, and the heartbreaking aftermath that will be with us from now on.
Tsunami Risk along the shores of Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia
Here in Cascadia (western Washington and Oregon, and southern British Columbia), a fault similar to the one that ruptured near Sumatra lies offshore and parallels our coast. This fault last ruptured in 1700. Since the 1980s civil authorities and scientists have been working together to mitigate the effects of our next great earthquake and tsunami. Although the Pacific Ocean has a tsunami warning system, the tsunami from a large earthquake on our coastal fault will arrive as early as 15 minutes following the earthquakes strong shaking.
Strong and/or long duration (30 seconds to minutes) shaking may be the
only tsunami warning coastal residents will recieve. Succesful rapid evacuation
to high ground requires that individuals understand the hazard and know where to
go before the earthquake strikes. If the the earthquake is determined
NOT to have produced a tsunami, emergency responders will broadcast an all clear
message that it is safe to return from evacuation zones.
Background Information