Posted on 09/04/2013 5:53:38 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
A tsunami generated by a massive earthquake off Alaska could cause major damage to California's economy and force 750,000 people to evacuate, a report published Wednesday warned.
One third of all boats in California's marinas could be damaged or sunk, costing some $700 million in losses, while major ports would struggle to get huge cargo vessels out to sea in time to avoid being buffeted by tsunamis.
Experts from the US Geological Survey (USGS) based their damage assessment on the scenario of a 9.1 magnitude quake off Alaska's Pacific Coast, which it said was "hypothetical but plausible."
"In this scenario approximately 750,000 people would need to be evacuated, with 90,000 of those being tourists and visitors," said the report, co-published by the USGS and the California Geological Survey.
The number of tourists -- who would be more at risk because they may be less prepared for what to do -- would increase to millions in the event of a tsunami in summer months, when visitors flock to California's beaches.
"The good news is that three-quarters of California's coastline is cliffs, and thus immune to the harsher and more devastating impacts tsunamis could pose," said Lucy Jones, who led the study.
She also welcomed findings that neither of California's two nuclear power plants, both near the coast, would be risk under the scenario studied.
"The bad news is that the one-quarter at risk is some of the most economically valuable property in California," she added.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Yes, and one day it will happen. We can do some planning but permanently evacuating Tacoma isn’t going to happen. Human life is short and geological time is long. The odds are that Rainier will give adequate warning. But, maybe not. Life is a risk.
Ah yes... otherwise possibly soon to be referred to as ocean front property.
The Hearst Castle is way up there above the fog-very smart.
Mt. Rainier is ranked as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. And it doesn’t even need to have an explosive event. (I’m not even sure Rainier is possible to have an explosive event.)
It does have a lot of hot water inside, and a very unstable rock. A small earthquake, landslide, etc. could cause a release of that hot water, instantly melting the snow and ice, mixing with the mud and the lahar.
I have done work where new subdivisions are going in west of Mount Rainier. All of the old trees from the last lahar make putting in sewer lines difficult. I wonder how many folks that buy those homes know they are sitting on 30 feet of old mud and trees deposited just 500 years ago (which reached Tacoma and the Puget Sound)?
I got a feeling that Sharknado II will feature a tsunami.
Is this a government-funded report to prepare for environmental/ecological disasters?
Let’s see...the 9 coastal counties of California make it a liberal state.
Let us pray.
Sharknami
Which is why I didn't mention it. Yet Crescent City faces southwest and it got hit hard in 1964.
Diffraction is an amazing thing.
I have my doubts there. The Golden Gate is so narrow and long that most of the energy would reflect off the initial pile of water at the Potato Patch shoal (where during the rush just after low tide there can be the most creepy evil looking water you've ever seen (about 1:00 into the video)). I wouldn't want to be there in a boat, as the initial recession would have one slamming on the bottom between breaking waves before the tsunami came in. Totally nasty water there.
Goodbye San Fagcisco.
Hello Sacramento Bay.
Making up disasters now. It could. It could.
Alviso is below sea level, so that is an issue.
About 1890 that was the delivery point for shipments not SF or Oakland so who knows what would happen in a major tsunami.
I recall a video of a “tidal wave” rolling into Santa Cruz... or thereabouts. Not protected.
Ping me when it happens, I’ll make popcorn.
I had no idea there was a lahar that recently, and that the historical geology was that close to the surface.
I always assumed Mount Rainier was explosive since it's so close to Mount St. Helens, but that's based on no factual knowledge at all.
The boardwalk and San Lorenzo Estuary area would be inundated, but not much more. Most of the beaches have bluffs behind them.
Most of Alviso's water transportation was to and from San Francisco. San Jose was a backwater by comparison. A rail line took most of the port of Alviso's business in 1864.
Ok. I did my final paper for my BS on Alviso - just saying.
Mother Nature’s way of dealing with “global warming”
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