Hospital and government entities should establish comprehensive
emergency plans for tsunami-prone communities.
The evacuation of affected individulas before the
arrival of the first tsunami wave should be a priority when a
tsunami alert is issued.
Well-developed plans rely on collaboration and simulation to
ensure relocation of affected persons to safe areas
(such as shelters) and/or planning for appropriate escape routes.
The inclusion of tsunami hazard and damage scenarios should
be included (when appropriate) to identify suitable
shelters, determine escape routes and consider
the possibility of debris accumulation which can affect
accessiblity of established routes.
A large earthquake off the coast of Alaska could send a
devastating tsunami towards California, causing the evacuation of
nearly 1 million people and causing $10 billion in damage, a
recent U.S. Geological Survey revealed.
USGS scientists met with state and local officials on Wednesday
to discuss what might happen if a 9.1 earthquake — similar to
the one that struck Japan in 2011 — occurred offshore of the
Alaskan Peninsula. Researchers called the scenario “hypothetical,
yet plausible,” warning officials to prepare for the worst.
The NTHMP was formed in recognition of the tsunami threat to
Oregon, Washington, and northern California from a magnitude 9
earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone, the April 1992
earthquake and tsunami on the Cascadia subduction zone in
northern California, and the loss of life and property in Japan
due to the 1994 Hokkaido, Japan earthquake and tsunami.
The NTHMP is a partnership between NOAA, the United States
Geological Survey (USGS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the 28 U.S.
Coastal States Territories, and Commonwealths. For more
information:
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) is responsible for
providing warnings to international authorities, Hawaii, and U.S.
territories within the Pacific basin. The two Tsunami Warning
Centers coordinate the information being disseminated. For more
information:
This fact-sheet is provided by the National Tsunami Hazard
Mitigation Program, a partnership among NOAA/National Weather
Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S.
Geological Survey, the National Academy of Sciences, and 28
states, territories, and commonwealths..
Hospitals, schools, playgrounds, factories and homes are often
built in areas vulnerable to tsunamis. The TsunamiReady Program,
developed by the National Weather Service, is designed to help
cities, towns, counties, universities and other large sites in
coastal areas reduce the potential for disastrous tsunami-related
consequences.
Since June 20, 2001, TsunamiReady has helped community leaders
and emergency managers strengthen their local operations.
TsunamiReady communities are better prepared to save lives
through better planning, education and awareness. Communities
have fewer fatalities and property damage if they plan before a
tsunami arrives. No community is tsunami proof, but TsunamiReady
can help minimize loss to your community. Find out what’s
involved in becoming TsunamiReady.
For tsunami hazards, CGS is working closely with CalEMA and the
Tsunami Research Center at the University of Southern California
to produce statewide tsunami inundation maps and preparedness
information for California. CGS is also the Scientific
Representative for California on the National Tsunami Hazard
Mitigation Program Coordinating Committee, a state and federal
cooperative responsible for developing policies and standards for
tsunami mitigation efforts in the United States and its
territories.
Is your hospital at risk for earthquakes or
tsunami? Earthquakes can occur everywhere in California. In
addition to the shaking caused by earthquakes, landslides,
surface fault ruptures and liquefaction can all occur. These
effects can cause injury or property damage.
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO
developed this guide as a basis for forming a strong community
tsunami readiness policy. It provides a general plan of action
and basic framework for dealing with the unique hazards resulting
from tsunamis. This guide outlines the construction and
maintenance of defensive structures and discusses how current
disaster prevention and emergency response planning can be
improved by using research on past tsunamis.
Each planner must take into account their community’s unique
circumstances
and review their current action plans. In doing so, planners will
be able to adapt each community’s unique topography, special
circumstances, changes in
the social environment a nd scientific research to the proposed
overall strategy contained in this guide.
After a damaging earthquake, having the strength to recover will
rely on those close to us for personal strength in the face of an
overwhelming situation. Many Californians will turn to the
California Earthquake Authority (CEA) to get the financial
strength they’ll need to rebuild.
SCEC’s science goal is to understand the physics of the Southern
California fault system and develop a model of key aspects of
earthquake behavior. To do this, SCEC organizes interdisciplinary
research spanning all aspects of earthquake system science,
disciplinary activities such as data collection and analysis, and
special projects in information technology, earthquake
predictability, and other applied research.
