Tsunami simulation highlights threats to California coast

Los Angeles Times : In 1964 a 9.2-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Alaska caused a tsunami to strike parts of California. A new simulation by the US Geological Survey reveals that if a similar tsunami were to occur in the near future, the damage would be significant, especially in Southern California. The state has invested a lot in earthquake preparedness, but because tsunamis are much rarer, very little has been done to prepare for them. After the 2009 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami , the USGS began to increase its research into the effects of tsunamis on US coastal areas. The recent simulation revealed that while Northern California would have larger waves, Southern California would experience greater damage because of its lower coastline and higher levels of development. Many low-lying towns would be submerged by waves of about 3–10 ft (0.9–3 m), and depending on time of year, anywhere from 250 000 to 1 million people would need to be evacuated. And evacuation would be very difficult because of the narrow roads in many areas and inadequate warning times—the first waves would reach Northern California in just 4 hours, and Southern California another 2 hours after that.