New study highlights California tsunami risk
US: More than a quarter of a million Californians live in coastal
areas which could be hit by devastating floods from a major tsunami in
the quake-prone US state, a new study says.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) study, published to mark Tsunami
Awareness Week, says tidal waves of eight metres or more could hit
northern California following a quake of magnitude 8 or more from a
well-known tectonic fault line.
"The tragic loss of life and property damage associated with recent
catastrophic tsunamis has raised global awareness of tsunami hazards,"
the report said, listing the 2004 Indian Ocean and 2011 Japan tsuna
mis among others.
"Historical and geologic evidence indicate that the California coast
has experienced similar large-magnitude tsunamis (and) is susceptible to
tsunamis generated by multiple sources," including quakes far away or
nearby. The 60-page report, issued by the California Emergency
Management Agency (EMA), included detailed maps showing the most
vulnerable coastline areas, from San Diego in the south to Los Angeles
and Oakland, near San Francisco.
Crescent City, 350 miles north of San Francisco near the Oregon
border, was among the worst hit places in California from the Japan
tsunami, with boats tossed on top of each other in the harbor, and one
death.
In all the number of residents in so called "tsunami-inundation"
zones is 267,000, while a further 169,000 work in them -- and the
numbers can swell to several times that at certain times of day, for
example on tourist beaches.
AFP
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