The California Geological Survey released for the first time since 2009 new tsunami hazard maps for Marin, Napa, Santa Cruz, San Diego, Solano, Sonoma, and Ventura counties to help residents understand better the risks from a tsunami and how to best plan for a possible evacuation.
In a new release, the state geological agency indicated the updated maps for the seven counties mentioned, which included new data and enhanced computer modeling since an earlier series of maps was published more than a decade ago, as well as hazards from tsunamis that originated far away from locally.
According to a Union-Bulletin report, 13 other counties including Orange and Los Angeles, received new updates over the past year.
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A tsunami hazard zone sign is displayed near a beach in El Segundo, California, on January 15, 2022. - The US National Weather Service issued tsunami advisories for the entire west coast of the United States following a massive volcanic eruption across the Pacific Ocean in Tonga.
Tsunami Hazard Area Maps Released for Proper Planning
According to senior engineering geologist Rick Wilson, who's also the head of the California Geological Survey's tsunami unit, the good news is that full-scale large changes on the maps have not yet been seen.
He added that it is a good opportunity for people to visit the agency's website, check out if their area has changed, and plan properly.
Even tsunamis in California are unusual, the entire coastline of the state is susceptible to one at any given time, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said.
The Los Angeles Times earlier reported that the last tsunami to hit California was in January after a volcanic eruption in the South Pacific Ocean close to Tonga sent two-foot tsunami waves that barrelled through the Bay Area more than 5,000 miles far.
The tsunami that battered Santa Cruz highlights the threat facing California's coast https://t.co/sSsON1pZJu
— The San Diego Union-Tribune (@sdut) January 23, 2022
Earlier Forecasts
An example of the new modeling forecasts reveals that an earthquake off the Aleutian Islands, a cluster of islands off the Alaskan coast, could bring 18- to 25-foot swells of waves to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, double as high as the forecasts made in 2009.
The National Weather Service said that tsunamis can travel up different bodies of water, which include streams and rivers that lead to oceans.
This means that they can pick up more momentum for flooding and travel further inland compared to normal waves and cause more destruction.
The most hazardous areas to be in when tsunamis strike are lagoons, beaches, estuaries, bays, river mouths, and tidal flats.
Californians To Be Best Prepared
Given that more than 26 million Californians are living in coastal portions of the state, it is essential that residents are aware of the area their tsunami evacuation zones are located, and how they are planning to get there in the event a tsunami hits the site.
Despite the changes to the said new maps, such new events' probability is low, Wilson explained, and the purpose of these new maps is to help California residents be best prepared in the unusual event that a tsunamic event indeed takes place.
The California Geological Survey said the goal is to guarantee that coastal communities are aware of and prepared for the upcoming tsunami.
It also said that the updated Tsunami Hazard Area Maps can be used by officials, individuals, families, and communities to update or develop their tsunami evacuation plans.
Related information about the recently released tsunami hazard area maps is shown on KCRA News's YouTube video below:
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