What's the ONE THING You Can Do To Survive a Tsunami? Cascadia Subduction Zone

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While tsunamis happen all over the world, really big ones are rare. But, they can be truly devastating. And what’s more, the West Coast of North America is overdue for a subduction zone earthquake and tsunami that has the potential to be the biggest disaster the U.S. has ever seen. So, what is the single most important factor determining whether or not YOU survive a tsunami? Watch this episode to find out.
Weathered is a show hosted by weather expert Maiya May and produced by Balance Media that helps explain the most common natural disasters, what causes them, how they’re changing, and what we can do to prepare.
Tsunami Evacuation Map for Oregon and Washington: nvs.nanoos.org/TsunamiEvac
Cascadia Megaquake Episode: • Will the Cascadia Eart...
How to Survive the Megaquake Episode: • Here's EXACTLY What to...
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[@erikpl6402]

I have friends and relatives in a part of Thailand that was struck by the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. The advice they gave me: make sure you and your loved ones have agreed on a place to meet up when the shaking stops. The top of a hill, for example. The idea is that rather than running around town trying to find each other, everyone runs to the hill and you meet up there. It greatly increases everyone's chances of survival. The only scary part is that you have to trust everyone to stick to the plan and get there (in time). The locals there remind each other every single day at breakfast: "If there's an earthquake, I'll see you at the top of the hill." It may seem excessive, but it's a small thing and it could save you and your loved ones.

[@lilaclizard4504]

underestimated advice. Definitely life saving!

[@brothermayihavesomeloops7048]

I love their diligence. My boyfriend says I'm "paranoid" about the CSZ earthquake. Well... they happen without warning. It's not paranoid to be prepared.

[@allprofits3092]

I think this is pretty standard knowledge lol

[@karenkeleher4924]

Smart advice!

[@tvismyonlyfriend]

That's the time I wish I was a bird

[@kevineusebio]

practicing is great, but i think people dont realize that if a real tsunami threat hits the west coast, everyone will hit the road with their cars, and since the US is car-centric, huge chance everyone will be stuck in traffic trying to evacuate. practice alternate path to safety rather than using the main roads.

[@heyborttheeditor1608]

Planning a bike route is a great idea

[@searose6192]

Your comment brought to mind a question…..are we really “car centric” or have we settled in the landscape the way that makes the most sense for our topography. If you think about life before cars in the US people still lived far outside of town and traveled hours if not days by horse and wagon to do shopping and conduct trade. We’re we “horse centric” ? Or were we accommodating the landscape in the way in which we settled. And as we replaced horses with cars, those trips now take one hour in stead of one day, but are still essentially the same…..

[@kevineusebio]

@searose6192 we lived and worked in cities before cars. people walked and share the roads with automobiles and horses. cities were walkable, and we had adequate public transit. street cars were everywhere. cities did not have big empty lots for horses. buildings had commercial space on the ground floor. it was all fine until car lobbyists started smear campaigns, calling pedestrians crossing the road "jaywalkers," which meant "foolish person" at the time. they successfully bought out street cars, discontinued them, and replaced them with asphalt. we went from sharing the road to the road being exclusively for cars, with tiny strips for people to walk on. as a result, cities needed parking lots, making it harder to be a walkable city. that's how the US became car-centric. Outside of major cities, you can't live without paying $200-$1500 a month for a car, just to live and work. Before, you won't even need one, because everything you need is within walking distance and has decent public transportation. Nobody had to travel 20+ miles on horses on a daily basis because even suburbs had mixed-use zoning with street cars as well. now that single-family only zoning is the most prevalent outside downtown core in most cities, we became a car-centric society and forced our downtowns to tear down buildings for parking lots, which lowered density, which lowered public transportation usage, which increased the need for more cars. it's a never-ending cycle of city sprawl.

[@asianbeowulf4276]

@@searose6192 You are car centric, full stop.

[@daisy3869]

@@searose6192 found the auto lobbyist!!! I hope the deity of public transportation haunts you in your dreams

[@jenniferlevine5406]

I am in Canada and we are in total denial about this. Zero prep for this major danger and no conversation. But I really appreciate your excellent video and helping to spread awareness. Thank you!

[@slypear]

Ditto! I'm from Canada's east coast, but ever since my first visit to the west coast I fell in love with Vancouver Island and have been planning to retire there ever since. I certainly now know where NOT to buy property there! It's a given in the certain likelihood of a Cascadia event, I'd have to be self sustainable in almost every way for years afterward.

[@patrickgermain2507]

@@slypearidk man, it would have to be world wide cataclysmic for you to have to survive years before Vancouver island recovers its aide routes. More like days or maybe a couple weeks if you’re inland and up north.

[@slypear]

@@patrickgermain2507 Thanks for the optimistic perspective! I was basing my assumptions on projections from earlier US reports I read a year or two ago

[@paulburley7993]

Don't worry! This is only going to hit the US west coast and affect Portland snd Seattle. It will stop at the border as Canada of course doesn't even exist.

[@misty0469]

@@slypear One of the things that experts worry about in any major West Coast quake, is the combination of quakes/landslides/tsunamis destroying infrastructure on such a widespread scale that some areas may not get power/water/gas service restored until months after the disaster - on top of the massive humanitarian crisis this would generate, a lot of the people that live in those areas will rationally decide to just leave the region forever, and it would be a scarlet letter for those communities trying to attract new residents/investment as well If it's a big concern for you, you should try diving deeper - what sort of places in Cascadia would you like to buy property in? How far away are those places from major population/economic centers, how close are they to the ocean or the mountains? Were you planning on living there full-time, or just part-time?

[@ewoksalot]

5:15 The records of the Orphan Tsunami is actually how we Americans have the specific date. As a resident of the PacNW, it is AMAZING to comb through Native American stories and find oral-history-records of earthquakes, landslides, etc that have actually occurred. Hope everyone is getting a disaster kit started!

[@pirobot668beta]

I was a kid living in Bremerton during the Good Friday quake, was in Seattle during Mt. St. Helens collapse and was at work in Bellevue came the Nisqually shaker. Yup, I love it here!

[@CavemanVanDweller]

You do know that the whole "native American" thing is a myth don't you? Do you believe in bigfoot too? 😂

[@billsmith5109]

@@CavemanVanDweller You do know people were living here already when the Russians swept down the coast, hunting sea otters, when Cook, and later Vancouver, with Peter Puget, explored?

[@CavemanVanDweller]

@@billsmith5109 and what nomadic people was this? And who did they take it from. And so on?

[@billsmith5109]

@@CavemanVanDweller I don’t know about nomadic. The coastal people lived in longhouses. The often did use more temporary dwellings inland in summer. No one spent the winter in the interior of the Olympics. Snow eight and twelve feet deep, you can’t get around and neither can the elk. The Queets, the Quilyute, the Hoh, the Chinook, the Cowlitz, the Makah, the Chehalis, and so on. You’ve read Lewis and Clark’s journals? They talk of tribes all along the Snake, the Columbia, including near the mouth where the Corps of Discovery over wintered. They did write of many empty or underpopulated villages. A wave of smallpox had recently swept the region. You remember the scene near the Dalles, where L & C were asking locals why so many empty homes, and they bring over a girl, badly scarred with smallpox.

[@wllm4785]

Lahaina traffic jams prevented evacuation from the wildfire. A lot of these cities on the coast have the same, one road in, one road out set up.

[@btd3375]

That's a great reason to leave immediately. If you wait for even one minute, the traffic grows enormously. Waiting just one minute will make all the difference. Anyone who expects to leave with you needs to understand that.

[@burnyizland]

@@btd3375 Same thing when exiting a high rise in a fire - you don't wait until someone tells you to evacuate, you get out asap and use your own eyes to assess it, every time.

[@ketchup016]

​@btd3375 Problem is roads and bridges would likely be damaged from the quake. It's better to be in good enough shape that you can hike yourself up the nearest hill. If there isn't a hill you could reach and climb in 15 minutes, then yeah, you might be SOL.

[@brentdalling4699]

I would imagine that building more structures that are Tsunami safe zones like the one in the video would help a lot. The idea being that if people can run within a few minutes of one of these structures that they'll be safer. Not remove or eliminate the risk. But reduce the total human loss of life. I've been to Seaside a lot. During fair weather days you're not driving away from the danger. It won't happen as the streets are clogged with people, cars, bikes, etc. And numerous cities and towns along the coast share in the congestion problem.

[@searose6192]

Traffic jams? Or roads blocked with police barricades?

[@kevingoble3227]

"Ignorance is bliss, but is it best?" Thanks for that.

[@LateBloomerMedia]

As someone who's moving to Newport (the place in this video with the big beautiful bridge and apparently a VERTICAL EVACUATION STRUCTURE!) the "ignorance is bliss" part of me didn't want to watch this, but the "better to be safe than sorry" part of me required me to watch this. Glad I did!

[@cooloutdoor7008]

Just a few streets north of the high school, if only one, there is a road up to a neighborhood that is high enough to be safe. check it out. use to go up there and party and watch the lights of Newport while in high school before it became a neighborhood.

[@LateBloomerMedia]

@@cooloutdoor7008 I appreciate that! Good looking out. I'll definitely have to check that out

[@volcommermaid12]

Omg I had no idea they had vertical evacuation centers that's absolutely amazing to me come on we need more of those in every single coastal town

[@hebneh]

This was done in Japan, except there, government buildings were constructed to function in this way: schools, hospitals, city halls, etc. Large numbers of people were saved by these buildings in 2011.

[@Jszar]

Contact your state & national legislators-they've got control of funding. :) (For effectiveness, face-to-face works best, then paper letters, then phone & email a distant third. Those latter are best for showing volume of support/disapproval, rather than being the first to raise an issue.)

[@melodyszadkowski5256]

Considering that the evac time will possibly be around 15 minutes, the VECs will save a lot of lives if people pay attention to warnings like this.

[@Slaphappy1975]

after the lessons learnt from the 2004 and 2011 tsunamis I hope everyone in the Pacific Northwest takes this video to heart. I'm from Thailand, and remember the 2004 tsunami very well. We had no idea what was happening. When the water receded people were walking down to check out the exposed coral reefs. We've come a long way since then.

[@burnyizland]

Is it not taught there? Because on the West Coast of Canada we've been taught from an early age that if the water starts to recede you run. I was a kid in the 80s when they taught us that.

[@ASMRyouVEGANyet]

😮 damn that's sad

[@aEMMinA]

There was also no warning system to detect seabed earthquakes in the Indian Ocean in 2004, like the Pacific had. In fact the 2004 megathrust was so large that Pacific monitoring systems picked up the disturbance and attempted to warn countries of the impending disaster. Thankfully, as a result there now is a warning system set up for the Indian Ocean. Every bit of time counts when it comes to escape. That event must have been so scary to see. I’ve seen tons of photos and documentaries but still struggle to imagine what it would have been like. I can believe it was 20 years ago now.

[@emu071981]

@@aEMMinA I live on the east coast of Australia and I have actually had a few tsunami warnings on my phone over the past 10 years or so. They were only "earthquake detected at X, danger of tsunami, standby for more details" though so I never actually had to evacuate. I would be safe in my home with a 10m tsunami but a 20m tsunami would have me actually heading towards the ocean to get to the nearest high-enough ground lol

[@stischer47]

@@burnyizland Same here in Texas in the 50s and 60s. Any time we went to the Gulf Coast, I was always planning what I would do.

[@TacticusPrime]

I was in Singapore that Boxing Day almost 20 years ago. So many aid agencies were redeployed to Aceh in the days and weeks afterward. I went a couple of months later to help clean wells. I'll always take the danger of tsunamis seriously.

[@oskrm]

Yeah, people underestimate how heavy water is.

[@TacticusPrime]

@@oskrm There were so many long term effects that people don't think about. I'm most familiar with how the salt water poisoned wells kilometers inland, up and down the coast.

[@joemugg2213]

That was a scary and sad one. I was in Grand Cayman and only heard tsunami. Then when heard where was soo messed up because it was like that could have been here why did it have to happen rest of my time there just would look out at Ocean thinking it is more powerful than us by far it could make us extinct in a blink of a eye. It provides life and takes it as well. Grew up on the water love it always will never truly understood its power till that moment though.

[@justadildeau]

I still haven't heard back from a friend who was in the region at the time of the boxing day tsunami. I presume he didn't survive. Rip Brendan

[@burnyizland]

@@oskrm Pish and tosh, you grow up on the ocean you learn that pretty early.

[@ShootingStar_JB]

I have family in Florence, Oregon. You scrape your foot on the ground hard enough and ocean water starts to bubble up. When Cascadia goes off, the coastline will drop apprx 13ft due to soil liquefaction.....you add a 50ft or higher wall of water.....If you live in these areas, figure out the highest point, if there is one!

[@chrishusted8827]

You will have a hard time getting to the highest point because the bridges will have collapsed.

[@charlotteryner6583]

I live in Florence also. Having come from LA, I've been thru the 1971 Sylmar quake, the 1994 Northridge quake and barely missed the Loma Prieta quake in SF. Most people on the coast here are aware of a quake/tsunami but have no idea of the power that will be released. There won't be much left standing after the quake; the tsunami will just wash away the debris. And yes, the only way in and out is by bridges and they will be gone, too. I'm preparing. Just hope I've still got some time.

[@tealkerberus748]

If you live in these areas, move. Staying there is a death sentence.

[@trishlarocca]

Luckily, I'm 100 miles from the coast, and at 2000 ft elevation. But I figure most our bridges and stuff will be gone too. Infrastructure damage etc.

[@tealkerberus748]

@@trishlarocca Stock up on stored food like a prepper? When it does pop, there's going to be a lot of people looking for help, and governments are a bit slow to get organised sometimes. If you're outside the zone but kind of nearby you're going to have refugees on your doorstep.

[@tinkerstrade3553]

No place is safe. I live on the edge of the Great Plains, in Arkansas, where tornados start flexing. With a daughter living on the wrond side of Lake Michigan, where it gets -35° with a wind to match. Or my oldest daughter who lives on the Gulf Coast and has tropical storms regularly. Love, live, and try your best; it's all you can do.

[@JP-xd6fm]

Yes, sure... or be aware of the place you live in and decide to move to some other safer places, holly cow, itøs about sq. miles in the usa! you have plenty

[@willd4491]

I live in England and sometimes it drizzles a bit

[@rogerstarkey5390]

@@willd4491 And MAN do we moan about it!!!!

[@jpaulc441]

Even though we're not in an Earthquake zone, Britain still gets moderately large earthquakes every few hundred years. They're not massive but our buildings were never really designed with them in mind so they might cause more damage than expected.@@willd4491

[@loblowry6282]

The ocean is the safest place.

[@madcow3417]

In the US some emergency alerts notify every phone in the area, but many/most require signing up. Every second can make a difference. Please sign up for any alerts available in your area.

[@karinhart489]

There is a new technology being deployed county by county that notifies ALL phones physically located in a pinpointed area, regardless of where you are signed up. A few months ago I was in a part of Contra Costa County with an immediate hazmat situation within a half mile of my location informing of first aid shelter-in-place, then later an evacuation via a certain route. It was only rolled out a short time before that event.

[@kimm6589]

Nobody has to sign up for it. It's called reverse 911, and it activates automatically on cell phones during emergency situations. I often get alarms for tornado warnings or amber alerts, and never signed up. Even when I was in North Dakota, where I no longer live, I get alerts there simply because my phone is using a tower in the vicinity. Also, I still have a 701 (ND) area code, but only get alerts where I currently live in SE MN. It's simple geolocation.

[@jillkellogg1439]

No alert will be as rapid as feeling the earthquake. When the earthquake stops, grab the go pack and head for high ground.

[@madcow3417]

@@kimm6589 2 years ago the Marshall fire destroyed a neighborhood. It burned for several hours, but many people evacuated with only minutes of notice. That county did not have a reverse 911 system, they only had an opt-in system and police going door-to-door. Boulder County now has Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) if your cell phone settings have it enabled. I have that partially disabled because I received amber alerts any time a kid was late for dinner anywhere in the state. Boulder County also has an apt-in system, Emergency Notification System (ENS), which lets you receive texts, phone calls, and emails. That's nice if you're at work or something and not in the WEA area, but still need to rush home to save pets or something. The counties you live and work in could have entirely different systems. Just look it up to make sure.

[@lilaclizard4504]

@@jillkellogg1439 and this video made this really clear, Cascadia will shake for 3-6 minutes. If it shakes for that long, you should already be out the door, knowing it's the big one. Not like you need to panic & run from every slight quake, the quake will tell you if it's the big one or not by it's length

[@nyralotep]

Being 12 hours from the ocean is the one thing I can do

[@ecurewitz]

I live an hour from the ocean, and that’s good enough for me

[@FerretKibble]

Inland tsunami have happened.

[@nyralotep]

Without an equivalent to the Chicxulub event, I'm pretty safe in El paso.@@FerretKibble

[@johnchedsey1306]

I used to live in the PNW and being a bit of a natural disaster/geology nerd, I had read all the books on the possible dangers of the region. I sincerely hope that many many decades go by before a serious event, but I'm also glad to not need to worry about it. Instead, I can enjoy the slow motion disaster of the megadrought in the southwest!

[@BuddyLee23]

It’s weird to me that all the megadrought articles seemed to stop around 2022. I wonder what happened with rainfall in 2023?

[@trevinbeattie4888]

Seems like just about everywhere is susceptible to one or another type of major disaster, be it earthquake, wildfire, hurricane, tornado, drought, or whatever. We just need to learn what the more significant risks are in the area we choose to live and prepare accordingly.

[@just-a-random-person-on-utube]

At least droughts are predictable 😂

[@JaredWyns]

@@BuddyLee23Another El Nino, the jetstream shifted and it brings rain to the lower states. The La Nina that was in place was longer-running. Over the next few years though, we'll start to see increasing volatility in the climate events.

[@feoxorus]

Drink much kool-aid?

[@xyzct]

I live in Cannon Beach, Oregon. The complacency is shocking. There seems to be a very strong [insert fingers in ears] _la la la la la_ inertia to do nothing to prepare ... while at the same time deluding themselves that they are prepared. (It's actually a fascinating phenomenon.)

[@avanellehansen4525]

Yes. I'm in Olympia Washington. I-5 corridor is a bottleneck from Oregon to Canada. People have no idea how limited food deliveries to stores will be without I 5 and bridges.

[@billsmith5109]

Parents of a childhood friend had a cabin next beach just south of Haystack. Yes, there were little affordable cabins on the coast once upon a time, the kind with no drywall, and the studs and inside of the sheathing just painted white. Third row up from the beach. Good Friday Earthquake, at Anchorage. Tsunami. The first row damaged, second flooded, and theirs, just debris washed up against ocean-side foundation. It’s a long way from Anchorage to Cannon Beach.

[@xyzct]

@@billsmith5109, a far-field tsunami, like that from 1964, is tiny compared to a full-rupture near-field CSZ event.

[@billsmith5109]

@@xyzct Yes.

[@mj.l]

americans are pathologically complacent. hello, climate change

[@Bareego]

I watched a lot of the Japanese tsunami videos from 2011, and it seems that most big concrete buildings were the safest place to go where people couldn't make it to high ground. Places that had several levels like schools, office buildings, malls and such.

[@johnchedsey1306]

I do believe more than a few various agencies from the US have been learning from Japan and trying to implement some of their best practices. But as 2011 showed, even best practices still can't fully stop the power of nature.

[@ShneekeyTheLost]

Yea, but a lot of foundations in the Cascadia Subduction Zone were built before they realized they needed to worry about earthquakes. You saw the footage of the cement columns supporting a bridge all but disintegrate? That's going to happen to many older buildings. The Japanese building code is extremely strict, which probably saved many lives. Our current building code is starting to come up to snuff, but there's a LOT of construction out there grandfathered in that would not make code in the modern day and likely won't survive.

[@avariceseven9443]

Only worked for them because their huge buildings are built with earthquakes and tsunamis in mind. I was obsessed with the 2004 and 2011 disasters too and we can clearly see, in the 2011 one, that even there, not all is safe. I really wish they do that in our country too. I’m from the Philippines. We’ve been lucky so far to have escaped serious tsunamis, but we can benefit from multiple purpose disaster infrastructures. Common ones here are floods and typhoons.

[@ignatiusryd2031]

​@@avariceseven9443 I'm staying in Bali and all i can tell you is that even with the painful lesson from 2004 tsunami in Aceh, the evacuation plans for Bali had a big one hits followed by tsunami still far from being adequate. Indeed the most packed shorelines already have some precautionary measures such as tsunami shelters and evacuation signs but its not enough at all. One only can hope that had the big one indeed happened, the hotels and buildings nearby can withstand the shakings and high enough to become a safe shelters from tsunami since the worst predicition it can be at least 5 meters high and can going up to 3 to 4 kilometers away to from the shorelines.

[@avariceseven9443]

@@ignatiusryd2031 dam. No wonder our country does no prepare for it either. It’s really dumb and shortsighted. In ours for example, it can be a typhoon evacuation building too, but nope. It’s so wasteful. It can be multipurpose, serves as pandemic quarantine too. Can even be used for hosting stuff and whatnot. If Aceh and similar neighbors who’ve experienced the 2004 tsunami did not learn, i guess i wont hope much for ours. Lol The next best thing is to know where to run assuming we survive the crumbling houses. Ugh. As if typhoons are not enough.

[@justanotherhuman8918]

I live outside Portland Oregon. This is really good information to have. I’m sharing with loved ones who live in Seaside and Seattle.

[@l.plzsavethebeez485]

I'm from Seaside! We had a few alerts while in highschool! My Dad's house was flooded a few years before that. during the only tidal wave in the last ? yrs!!!

[@stevena105]

If you haven't heard of him, Nick Zentner has some amazing lectures on PNW geology, and he's great to listen to!

[@haplon33]

agree and seconded!

[@stevena105]

@@haplon33 I honestly didn't expect to hear from anyone who knew him! The first one of his videos I clicked on was 60 or 90 minutes long, and figured I'd watch a few seconds to see what he was like. Ended up watching the whole thing and went looking for more.

[@Westlake]

Nick is very inspiring and an amazing person. Great style of teaching and have enjoyed so many of his videos about geology in the PNW.

[@SusanC147]

Yes, me too. Shawn Willsey is awesome too

[@SusanC147]

FYI-NickZentner & Shawn Willsey are doing a joint vlog on 04Feb@0900Pacific time. One topic is the Bonneville Floods

[@dezwolfe2283]

The ocean terrifies me, and things like this make me so glad that I live in a landlocked state, on the other side of the mountains from the west coast.

[@beverleybarnes5656]

Tsunami warning with earthquake: "When it's long or strong, get gone."

[@lilliths-httyd-channel]

hear this one repeated all the time in NZ

[@mozorellastick2583]

@@lilliths-httyd-channelwhat does this even mean it doesn't make sense?

[@lilliths-httyd-channel]

@@mozorellastick2583 that phrase, "if it's long or strong, get gone". it's a slogan i hear all the time thanks to PSAs from nz civil defence which air constantly.

[@whiteb09]

​​@@mozorellastick2583 If an earthquake is strong enough that it's difficult to stand or the shaking lasts for more than 1 minute, you need to get to high ground. That's the more formal definition

[@catscattying943]

Anyone in the Greater Vancouver Area I’ve about earthquakes with seems to accept the fact that if the big one hits during our lifetime, we’re all just basically screwed. And that’s it. No amount of preparedness can save us from the chaos and destruction it will unleash. You may survive it, but you will be ruined anyway. After all is mostly destroyed, those who remain can rebuild it “stronger”.

[@emppulina]

Hmm. There were a lot of people asking why people live by a volcanoes when people lost homes in the Iceland. Yet on the US West Coast the problem has been known for a while now, and yet very little has been done in the last 10 years. It seems many people don’t take it seriously before it actually happens.

[@zarinaromanets7290]

I agree that we should prepare better but it has taken over a hundred years to build up the industry at the ports (which are all in the path of at least one volcano) and jobs keep being put there. So our bosses don't care and it takes being able to afford property to move to a ranch in the desert so people keep working on the coast. Also rain. All the rain is concentrated where the volcanoes and ocean are, so a lot of the agriculture and food is there too. Maybe someday we can terraform on a level where it won't matter but it would take a lot for people to uproot entire counties all of a sudden.

[@ecurewitz]

Why have there been so few tsunami structures for people to escape to in case of one?

[@lenabreijer1311]

​@@ecurewitz money. They don't make money. And if it is paid by taxes some undeserving person might use it.

[@ecurewitz]

@@lenabreijer1311 unfortunately, many conservatives feel that way

[@mastpg]

It's possible to know MUCH more about the likelihood of a volcano eruption than a subscription zone fault letting go. Sure, we'd seem to be overdue for some kind of cascadia quake, but there is less reason to worry than for many volcanoes.

[@RaineWaterTarot]

This was informative. Thank you I lived in an apartment on Santa Monica beach, right by the pier, in 1970. The promanade was our front porch and the sand was our yard. I was a pre-teen and times were very different then. That building was being renovated when i visited 3 yrs ago. I used to have a recurring dream of watching a tsunami roll in. I live in north Texas now. The End

[@bendy6626]

I lived in L.A. near Dodger Stadium in the 60s & 70s. I had a dream of a giant wave, cresting halfway up the sky, looking up at it with my toddler beside me. Knowing there was nothing to do but watch. Horrible dream. Inspired a move and am now in MO. No looking back, and really really glad we got out when we did.

[@aliciabuck3822]

I started having tsunami dreams when I was about ten - before I knew anything about the logistics of a tsunami. The water receded, and I stood there on the beach and just watched it. Then the wave. It was too late to run. Then for years - into my 30's, I had reoccurring dreams of the event - once I was at the beach afterwards. It was dripping wet (I can still hear it) and full of debris and smelled terrible. I didn't fully understand tsunamis until 2004. I always know the evacuation routes!

[@Westlake]

Really enjoying this informative series Maiya and have been aware of (and keenly interested) in the Cascadia Subduction Zone for quite some time now. Hope the message gets through to residents along the impacted areas of the coast. The anniversary was just a few days ago (January 26) of that horrific quake 324 years ago and it happened around 9 pm in the evening. Hopping in your vehicle probably wouldn't be a great idea as roads will be jammed and power will be most likely out. Appreciate the interviews and the included links! Today is the best day to prepare. :)

[@marilynbelcher4263]

Don't live near the ocean.

[@chefscorner7063]

The one thing everybody experiencing a Tsunami needs is... Altitude!!!

[@ravenlord4]

1:55 - 2:05 is the story of mankind. Intellectually we know the inevitable long term risks, but we are not programmed to believe or accept it on a short term level. The attitude of "it can't happen to me" or "it won't happen in my lifetime" is the reason why people live in those "when, not if" areas for any type of potential disaster.

[@joemugg2213]

It is out of fear. Alot of people tune things out because they get nervous till they cannot function. I am seeing this more and more it isn't weakness but what happens when a brain is expanding and keeps thinking. The next faze I believe will inevitably be acceptance. I am seeing each generation get smarter and smarter and it is awesome by definition. That is evolution and with that are side effects.

[@tlpineapple1]

You're right on the issues of "it wont happen to me" mentality; however, your conclusion is very wrong. People dont live in disaster prone areas because they dont believe that a disaster will happen to them, they live in these areas because these areas also happen to be some of the most beautiful, nicest climate, or best concentration of resource. Much of these factors are the direct result of the disaster. People live in tornado alley because its a perfect area for agricultural, holding some of the most fertile lands in the country and even world. The reason its so fertile is the same reason tornadoes are so frequent there. People live around the great lakes region because of the lakes access to trade as well as its major industry historically, and its a pleasant place to live. These lakes also enhance blizzards that come through, which every few decades drop enough to cause buildings themselves to collapse. People live in California because of its resource rich mountains, as well as the coast which regardless of your opinion on Californian politics, is an extremely pleasant climate. Both of these are the result of the regions geology, which is the same reason it has such severe earthquakes. No, that mentality is a larger contributor to why we dont properly prepare for these disasters.

[@ravenlord4]

@@tlpineapple1 That actually makes my point. Beautiful scenery means nothing if you really believed that you will die there from flood or earthquake. People live there because they DON'T believe the danger. No one goes there and says "This is a great place to live, even though it will probably kill me in the next 5-10 years". People believe that the odds will always be in their favor -- until it isn't. There may be a very few nihilists who do expect to die for their real estate choices, but they are by far the exception to the rule.

[@tlpineapple1]

@@ravenlord4 No it doesnt unless you purposefully cherrypick from what i said.

[@ravenlord4]

@@tlpineapple1 I didn't cherry pick anything. I merely pointed out that you can't have it both ways. People either believe that disaster WILL happen to them, or they believe that it WON'T happen to them. It is as simple as it gets ;)

[@FC-ds9ve]

I grew up hearing about The Big One, so when I moved from BC’s Vancouver to Edinburgh, Scotland in 2020 I was a bit relieved not to worry about it for myself. But I do still worry about it for my family and friends that live in Vancouver Island or Greater Vancouver. 😢

[@GrandmaBev64]

I've been watching the earthquake center maps. The Earth is having mass swarms of earthquakes, level 3 or more, in the Cascadia Subduction zone, around Portorico, and San Andreas. Usually, there are swarms of earthquakes, but they are 1-2.5. Lately, they have been having 3 to 4.5's, in waves, excelerating the earthquake waves. If you see the animals running, follow them! If the water in the ocean recedes, run the other way! We are overdue on a few of these volcanos and earthquakes, that have erupted or happened like clockwork, for thousands of years or every few hundred ye 12:30 years.

[@joelodyssey4475]

I've been watching them too because I swore I was feeling something...checked and I had been.

[@mscott54321]

"Why do people live near volcanoes?" *packs bags and moves to coast* "Why do people live in tsunami zones?" *packs bags, moves to the desert* "Why do people live where there are water shortages?" *moves to the plains* "Why do people live where there are floods & tornadoes?" *moves to East Coast* "Why do people live where there are hurricanes?" *moves... somewhere* "Why do people live where property & rent are so high that they can't afford to live?" *moves to other country* "Damn immigrants."

[@MrsMarchelewski]

Perfection!

[@Theoryofcatsndogs]

Mars is the answer.

[@JustinWarkentin]

This should be pinned

[@iwanttodemonetizedmyself7464]

@@Theoryofcatsndogs "why do people live where there are global dust storms?"

[@msruag]

east foothills of appalachia are the only place where there isn't really a risk of anything apart from tornadoes floods or ice storms 😭

[@hash8169]

Seaside, Oregon, is beautiful… If you live in the area, visit while it still exists

[@alghirab]

Living in one of the 3 California counties bordering the Cascadia Subduction Zone, videos like this are very discouraging. Many of us who live here know the danger but are limited in what we personally can do to prepare. All of the information related to evacuation and preparation is exclusive to OR and WA. There are tens of thousands of people living here, many of them in the hazard zone, with nowhere to evacuate to. State, county, and municipal governments are nearly silent on what they're doing to prepare. Meanwhile they're building low income housing in the inundation zones. Housing is so inaccessible here that simply moving to high ground is not an option for many people, especially considering that these three counties are among the poorest in the state. We know we're seen as expendable, but it's still salt in the wound when a video like this uses Crescent City as an example of a low lying community that will be wiped off the map, but then doesn't share any resources for the people who live there to prepare.

[@Dragrath1]

Ouch I wish you luck yeah the USA is a dystopian hell in terms of disaster preparedness. The rich oligarch class cares about themselves their stock portfolios and nothing else. While I'm on the east coast too far away to help I suspect you and your community may have to take matters into your own hands as there is little more than a façade of democracy. Google maps is a tool which is for now free enough that you should be able to find a place where you can flee to when the disaster strikes. Be particularly careful as there is some evidence to suggest past Cascadia megathrust quakes have driven the nearby and then already primed San Andreas and (related fault systems) to slip as well within a relatively short interval of time.

[@ShneekeyTheLost]

I mean, the only preparation you can really do is be ready to evacuate immediately upon feeling tremors. That probably means having a Bug-Out Bag in your vehicle containing at least one change of clothing for everyone you plan to evacuate, and at least a five gallon water jug ready to throw in the car with you. Plan your own evacuation route, make sure you have alternative routes in the event one or more are blocked. If the city officials aren't going to do it, then it is up to you to do it for yourself.

[@hiiiimymelody]

There are already agreed upon or designated tsunami evacuation points for coastal CA towns. Please look yours up and save the location. You can also use the FEMA map to put in your address to evaluate your flood, fire, and qearthquake risk. Then, you can make a prep bag with emergency food, items, carriers for yourself and pets and have a plan in advance of where to go for ear scenario. I know there's not much else that can be done...I have recently seen some more affordable emergency kit items online, for example a nylon fire ladder if you live on the 2nd floor of an apartment and/or a pet holder to lower animals to the second floor from a window for about $30. I feel you on everything though. Our building code across each county and town are so outdated and patchy.

[@milomateer6565]

Yeah man here in Humboldt a lot of places are gonna get messed up

[@TheSonic10160]

The best way to prepare your communities is to get in the asses of elected leaders, go to residents association meetings. Get critical bridges strengthened, get evacuation plans passed by the police department so they can make roads out of town one-way so its two lanes of driving to get out of danger. That's what we do in New Zealand.

[@Julian_Wang-pai]

Excellent information, lucidly presented and a joy to watch. Well done and thank you 🙂

[@dougsinthailand7176]

I love Maiya’s clear speech and explanations.

[@joemugg2213]

Absolutely having a Smart girl like her keeps you listening because she doesn't have that boring voice and she knows what she is talking about and it feels like she cares about the topics she covers. If she is a glimpse of the future children we will be fine. If someone like her runs for president I would vote for her in a instant.

[@colinsmith2005]

I think she’s quite pretty too.

[@firstnamelastname6216]

Yes sir!! I agree lol. 🔥🤩​@@colinsmith2005

[@joeyhicklin8177]

I live in Vancouver, WA outside of Portland. We moved here over 10 years ago, and we just learned about the Cascadia earthquake about 6 months ago. I've been a "prepper" all my life and our property is almost completely self-sustaining. I made emergency plans for so many different scenarios for when it happens, and many of them ended in a high likelihood that we would die, especially if my wife is at work in Portland where her job is in an unreinforced masonry building. We have our house up for sale now and we're moving out of the PNW. We have loved it here so much and we're so sad to leave, but our kids are only toddlers and we don't want to create a life for them here where their friends and loved ones are likely to either die or become refugees within their lifetime. If WA and OR were taking more steps to prepare, we'd probably do the same and try to reduce our risk. However, with me being a WA state worker for the last 8 years, I can assure you that next to nothing is being done and I have very serious doubts that sufficient preparations will even be discussed in the next 10-20 years. The devastation that this event is capable of is inescapable and overwhelming. Water lines will rupture, sewer lines will rupture, gas lines will rupture, power lines will collapse, data lines will be broken, many of the major roads will become impassable, and even the Columbia river is likely to be blocked from debris. Emergency service buildings are almost all predicted to collapse along with almost every hospital. For the first month at least, aid will mainly be limited to airdrops, which is a logistical nightmare considering the extreme scale of the impact zone, even with the entire US air fleet. We have an on-site open well, a backup 5,000-gallon tank, and enough filtration medium and sanitizing chemicals to treat 10,000 gallons, but who knows if my tank if going to rupture or if my well walls will collapse. Even as prepared as I am, we are not equipped to survive in a primitive landscape for 1-3 months until the bare minimum supply lines are established, and that's presuming that all my resources survive the quake and nothing is destroyed by falling trees. And all of this is before you consider the economic impact. We would both be out of our jobs and our house is likely to be destroyed. Even if we saved enough capital to purchase the building materials to rebuild, the materials are likely to be unavailable for months or even years following that massive effort to rebuild in the aftermath. It's not reasonable to stockpile a whole house worth of building materials... we have to leave. Please, if you're in the area and you have the bandwidth to run for a legislative seat, do it, and change the course that we're on.

[@bbfoto7248]

Even with this video, I'm not quite sure that many of those in the comments here truly understand the "magnitude" of a rupture along the full length of the Cascadia Subduction Zone from Vancouver Island all the way south to Northern California...that's ~600 miles. Even if it's just a partial rupture along the Southern section, it will be massively destructive. Either type of quake would be at least 8.1 to 9.5, so even locations and infrastructure several hundreds of miles away may be SERIOUSLY affected, especially anywhere along the coast where there are NW-facing beaches and ports that the Tsunami will easily reach. I'm not trying to fear monger, but if you look at the facts and data that is readily available (read the studies & watch KZbin videos by Brian Atwater, Chris Goldfinger, and their contemporaries), this event will truly be catastrophic across a wide area. The last time that this major event happened in 1700, there were only small villages and populations of indigenous people scattered along the coastlines and coastal river valleys. There was no widespread infrastructure to destroy like there is today, only their rudimentary shelters and villages. The Great Tohoku Earthquake in Japan in 2011 was a 9.1. Take a look at the 100s of videos of the Widespread Destruction that the Tsunami caused, let alone the earthquake itself...which was much farther offshore compared to what the Cascadia fault rupture will be. The "Orphan Tsunami" in Japan that resulted from the January 26th, 1700 Cascadia Earthquake produced 16ft waves along Japan's coastline after having traveled several thousand miles across the Pacific. Many died as a result... 16 foot high waves might not seem very big or destructive, but Tsunami waves are much different from standard wind-born waves that reach our coastlines. Tsunami waves have a MUCH larger volume of water BEHIND them that continue to push the waves inland once the front of the waves reach and crash on the shore, and the water/sea level keeps stacking up and rising with each successive wave, making each wave reach a higher total altitude while it surges inland. This event will NOT be limited to a "localized area". The resources that are available and which will be desparately needed will need to be spread out among a huge distance and area...i.e. we can't possibly get to ALL of the affected areas immediately...potentially 600+ miles of coastline...and not even to all of the major areas effectively. Many local families and neighbors will most likely be on their own for weeks. It will take A LOT of TIME to organize the resources and such a wide scale relief effort! Good luck with your "immediate airdrops"! A few limited areas might receive some, but it's not like the entire Naval Fleet, Coast Guard, and National Guard will show up the next day. Access to the coast will be limited to relatively short range helicopters and drones as there will be very few usable runways for traditional aircraft, and nearby refueling facilities will be devastated...again, from Vancouver Island all the way to Northern CA. When and if any helicopters or ships/boats do arrive, they will need refueling to make a return trip, but there will most likely be very little fuel available. Most of the larger fuel facilities and distribution are located in or near the ports where they will be devastated by either the earthquake or this tsunami. It will take weeks at best for a large fuel tanker ship to arrive. Our best bet is if there are any large cruise ships returning from Alaska, or one which could be rerouted that could help in regards to supplying essentials or accommodations...but they would be in serious danger as well (see below). And again, were are talking about needing to reach hundreds of communities along hundreds of miles of coastline! A few ships and even 50 helicopters will be inundated and most likely severely inadequate for this task. Roads and highways will be destroyed due to fracturing, liquefaction, or landslides. HWY 1 will be TOAST...it was built in great haste for military/missile defense access for the West Coast during WW2, and very little has been done since then to fortify and improve it. As we've seen in the recent past, just a moderate earthquake or a heavy rain event can cause local landslides on HWY 1 which will deem it impassible for weeks or months. And historically, there is some evidence that a large rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone fault may also trigger the San Andreas Fault, especially if it's on the Southern section of the Cascadia fault. :-O This could potentially mean that the majority of the West Coast of America will be majorly affected...power/communications/roads/bridges/airports/runways/ports/shipping/infrastructure/fuel/fresh water/food supplies, etc. Regarding the idea of building underground long-term emergency food cellars and water storage in the nearby foothills or mountains, this size of earthquake will most likely destroy them or at least cause any access or entry doors to be fouled and stuck... Take a look at the photos of the degree of ground movement/upheaval/subduction and the open crevasses/ruptures in the great Alaska earthquake of 1964 which was much smaller than the Cascadia earthquakes will be... Entire houses and buildings were tossed around like toys with one being raised 20+ feet & at a 45° angle, while the one that was formerly on level ground next to it is sitting almost completely obscured in a deep crater/crevasse and at an opposite angle! Underground storage will probably not be safe unless it is quite far away, and getting to those locations that might have survived will most likely be a challenge in itself. In addition, we must remember that this will NOT be just One Event and then suddenly be "All Quiet on the Western Front" again! There will be Continuous and VERY LARGE AFTERSHOCKS for days, weeks, months, and years afterward, making any rescue or relief operations extremely difficult, and likely very risky. Any attempts at road, bridge, runway, rail, or any type of major or minor infrastructure repair may be destroyed again at any moment due to a large aftershock. Ships or boats that are anchored along the coast or in a port might still be in danger of another earthquake/tsunami event. In the long history of earthquakes & tsunamis along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, several of the larger magnitude 9+ earthquakes were followed very shortly by magnitude 8+ earthquakes at other points along the fault. In addition, several of these Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquakes have resulted in significant Volcanic Eruptions within the PNW arc range, so it's possible that the next "big one" may be a "Triple Whammy" event...Earthquake/Tsunami/Volcanic Eruption. The chances are rare, but cannot be ruled out. :-( It was only 1980 when Mount St. Helens last blew her top (or side), and that was with no additional help from any such Subduction Zone Earthquake "trigger" event. (The PNW Volcanic Arc mountain range is a direct result of Subduction of the Pacific/Juan de Fuca tectonic plates under the North American plate.) The January 26, 1700 Cascadia Earthquake & Tsunami occurred 324 years ago now, and these major 8+ to 9+ magnitude Cascadia Earthquake/Tsunami events are known to repeatedly occur every ~180 to 1,000 years, with the Average being well on the shorter end of that timeline...every 250-300 years. So as the video alluded to, it's not IF, but WHEN. Also consider that nearly all major earthquakes result in devastating FIRES, just like the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and the 2011 Tohoku Japan Quake. Some of the debris from destroyed homes & buildings that were washed away in the tsunami kept burning for weeks while they were still floating on the water in Japan. Compound this with oil and fuel spills/slicks from ships, boats, vehicles, and the massive fuel tanks & depots in the ports that will be compromised by the quake and/or tsunami with the potential to catch fire. And there will most likely be little if any fresh water available to fight these fires. The nearby accessible sea water will be filled with ALL sorts of large and small debris, as well as oil & gas, making it nearly impossible to be pumped and used for this purpose. The real problem is that we haven't experienced an event like this in our Modern Age, so we simply cannot fathom or.comprehend this type or level of event happening on this large and wide of a scale. But the data 100% proves that these types of events are real and that they happen on a regular, known timeline. I urge everyone to spend just one evening watching a collection of both the personal & news agency KZbin videos and documentaries from the Great Alaska Earthquake, but especially the videos from the 2011 Great Tohoku Japan Earthquake and Tsunami event. You will get a revealing glimpse of the true destruction and danger that most likely awaits us. While watching those videos, also keep in mind that Japan is one of THE most well-prepared nations in the world in regards to their infrastructure and knowledge/experience with earthquakes. Many of the ports had significantly high tsunami sea walls protecting them. But as with the Cascadia Subduction Zone events, during the earthquake the land along the coast subsided by several meters, making the sea walls much less effective. As this video noted, the infrastructure and communities of the PNW are NOT anywhere near as prepared as Japan was and is. It's only been in the last ~15 or so years at best that the PNW has even begun to take this seriously.

[@jollyandwaylo]

Mostly you are just fear mongering. Seattle will barely notice the tsunami (if you actually look at the maps) and will feel the quake as a 6.9 or so. It will go on for 5 or 6 minutes, so worse than the Nisqually quake because of the increase in time. Seattle airports and roads won't be destroyed. Most of WA coast is sparsely populated. Your fantasy that the earthquake will cause volcanic eruptions is not a scientific theory, it is an internet rumor at best. The 1964 Alaskan quake was people living right on the subduction zone. Seattle and Portland are not that close to the subduction zone. I have a neighbor who lived through that quake. Yes, we have lived through events exactly like these in our modern age. Japan, Sumatra, Chile. Stop the fear mongering (I know you love it) and just pass on useful information from good sources. This is something everyone in the PNW coastal areas need to know but don't act like it is an all out nuclear war type of disaster.

[@SeanDustman]

Well said!

[@WillN2Go1]

Good video. I was sailing in Japan last year, so I was near the coast in many place. The Tsunami routes are clearly marked. I think you could be lost, and just by looking around find a tsunami escape route sign. I've got a sailboat in a marina in Oxnard, California, about a mile in from the ocean. The dock has already been through a few tsunamis. My dock mates tell me that one was pretty intense. As soon as I got my berth I started thinking about tsunamis. I know where the deep water of the coast is, I know how long it takes to get there. My boat is 60 miles away from my house. I've made the calculations for how long it would take to get to the boat and be off the coast... And my fall back is to either stay home or if I'm at the boat, but too late to go out to sea, run up to a nearby overpass, (40') and tie myself, and anyone who wants to join me, to the railing. (I learned with COVID that you can be prepared, but you also have to help your neighbors and family.) Teaching science I made a wave tank. Just plywood sides, no paint, draped construction plastic spring clipped to the sides. Long and narrow, with a 'beach' a wedge under the plastic on one end. (The plastic makes it cheap and easy, and the beach/wedge makes it very practical.) When I made the first one it didn't seem to work. I'd get these nice waves moving down the flume but before they reached the beach, water would already be rushing up the beach. I thought I made it wrong, but how? Then I figured out, I was making both deep tsunami waves and shallow surface waves. So that became the lesson. My students would wave a paddle near the surface to generate surface waves. Or they'd lift up the plastic liner and a small tsunami wave would quickly travel the length, go right up the beach and often overflow. The surface waves would always be bigger, prettier; but slower. They'd just lap on the beach. The difference was profound. In our longest tank 21' (the length of a concrete bench) students actually were able to make cresting breaking waves. Someone suggested we train hamsters to surf.

[@lilaclizard4504]

I think someone missed the bit where they said that with Cascadia you have 10 minutes to get clear lol

[@WillN2Go1]

From Cascadia, the first waves would take three hours to get to where my boat is. @@lilaclizard4504

[@brothermayihavesomeloops7048]

​​@@lilaclizard4504I was also very disappointed with how inaccurate they were with this video. I knew they'd leave a lot of people with this idea that "earthquakes near water cause tsunamis" which isn't really how it works. For example, Oxnard can definitely be impacted by tsunamis (coincidence that I was born there so I'm not just some internet rando) but they will not see a CSZ event. At worst, a rupture on the San Andreas might trigger a landslide offshore, but it would be nothing compared to the 100ft wave of a full rupture CSZ event.

[@skyflight99]

My family experienced a tsunami in Australia’s south coast. It came in with such a long wavelength we didn’t realize the danger - then suddenly we were all under water - too fast to outrun. I’ll recognize the signs next time and run.

[@mj.l]

when? where?

[@brothermayihavesomeloops7048]

Tsunamis come in strong. How far inland were you that the wave was tall enough to drown you, but not also knock you down and tumble you through the wave on its way through?

[@malkalopez1641]

This is a great video. Thank you! Cool tools in the description too.

[@libertyjustice4847]

Wonderful video, with a lot of educational content and tools to use to prepare for this type of natural disaster. Thank you for posting!

[@douglasharley2440]

great video, much thanks! tsunami preparation is also one of the most cost-effective disaster prep _possible_ as it's mostly warning signals, good simple signage, and public education.

[@melissastory1993]

Even just signage is super easy but effective! I live on Vancouver Island and after just looking at our evacuation zone maps, I realized I already knew where the danger zones were, because I’ve seen signs. Tofino especially is covered in signs, not only just for routes, but explaining what to look out for and how to react.

[@kcgilford518]

There was a PBS program on the Cascadia Subduction Zone a few years ago. A geologist who id’d the danger said very clearly that if there is a tsunami, you run immediately for higher ground. He says you do not hesitate for any reason, not for your spouse, your kids, your pets, and of course your stuff. You are most certainly dead. The only way is to ensure that this does not happen is to locate infrastructure and housing is out of the tsunami zone to begin with. We have not done that on the northwest coast.

[@mrtony1985]

Not trying to save your kids & pets is a cowardly move.

[@averteddisasterbarely2339]

If you have kids or a spouse , I hope you don't follow that advice ! That guy is an absolute idiot !

[@heyho4770]

​@@mrtony1985 The scenario probably doesn't envision you all sitting together when it happens and you abondoning your family to get to a hill one Minute faster. Its more like the adults are at work, the kids are at school and the pets are at home. A 9.0 happens, there's widespread destruction all around and depending on where you are you have less than 30 minutes before your local town gets wiped off the map by a 20 meter (~60ft) wall of water. If you're lucky and survive the earthquake unscathed you'll have no way of knowing how your family fared since communication infrastructure will be overloaded or more likely completely toast. If you can even make it to one of you loved ones before the wave hits is questionable at best. Debris and Cars block the roads, you're on foot. But lets say your children's school is 20 Minutes away and you run for it. There's two likely scenarios. 1)The School pancaked and everyone inside is a lost cause since rescue efforts would take hours or even days. By the time you're there the wave will arrive in 10 minutes. You never get to see your children or the rest of your family again and die. Noble but completely in vain. 2) The school is fine but you find it devoid of life. The Tsunami drills have paid off and the teachers made the sensible thing and EVACUATED TO HIGHER GROUND. Unfortunately you won't make it there in time. Congratulations you have just orphaned your children.

[@tlpineapple1]

​@@mrtony1985If you havent already discussed an evacuation plan, practiced it, and made sure every member of your family is aware of it, youve failed already. In many places, a Tsunami will hit FAR faster then what it will take to reach a safe distance or area. In many more cases, you'll reach safe ground just as it hits. You do not have time to get to your family or pets, if you try you're dead, theres no ifs ands or buts about it. You WILL die. If you want to actually give your family a chance, you need to prepare, and you need to trust that your family will follow the plan. You can call it cowardly all you want, but if you wait until the earthquake happens to start thinking about saving your family, youve already killed them.

[@mj.l]

@@mrtony1985 a workmate of mine died in the 2004 tsunami in thailand. she went back to the elephant sanctuary she was volunteering at to grab a life jacket - which ordinarily would be a wise move. sadly it cost her life, because tsunamis happen *very* quickly. re: family/pets - you have the choice to be "brave" - or alive.

[@RoseNZieg]

in the case of a tsunami, this region needs to store food and supplies on higher grounds. once the water cut off access to the outside world, the survivors will most likely starve before they are rescued.

[@TheElitekruemel]

You wont starve for atleast 2 weeks, most of the times 3 weeks or even more. Fresh water is waaaay more important, but even more important than that is not getting drowned or smashed by it. So safespaces like this building is very important!

[@bugsbane]

I can imagine immediate airdrops of food, water and firstaid kits, not to mention satphones or cell phones. If the area is populated at all, this should come within a day. Certainly, General Aviation people, drone pilots et all will be mobilized to reach almost everyone. As long as you're visible, you should be able to get aid quickly.

[@DeusShaggy]

Potable water, as is now becoming a valuable commodity. Even more so after a tsunami.

[@zanderhenriksen6776]

A big issue with that though is that water and food (probably freeze-dried food and such) is that these are often - and should be - stored in cold, dark, preferably dry and sterile environments like cellars and basements. Consistently medium/cold temperatures get harder to achieve as you go above ground level, as the sun, wind and rain plays a larger role each then... I suppose a cellar on a hill might help, but that's not *as* safe as the example shown at the end of the video with the pass-through design

[@mastpg]

Dude, that's not how water or modern logistics work. Where did you even come up with the "everyone will starve" idea? That's pure nonsense. Portland and Seattle have I84 and I90 heading dead east out of town and both are at a few hundred feet of elevation within 30mi of travel. After the wave, supplies, medicine and relief will be coming in within hours.

[@user-bp8yg3ko1r]

Thank you, this is a lot of valuable and important information!

[@vernonbrechin4207]

Thank you for all this guidance.

[@finurra3905]

this video is so helpful thank you so much for this!!

[@MinasanKonnichiwa777]

i am currently living on the opposite side of the ocean in eastern coast of Japan (10 mins walk from the sea). It scares many people but somehow I feel very safe. Japan has learnt its lessons from the 2011 tsunami and has done a lot to prepare for future ones. Just to give you an idea - because our city is a coastal one, we have signs almost every street corner (say within 2 km from the shore) about the height at that location and where the nearest evacuation center is. luckily 80% of japan is on mountainous terrain and that means many people can climb up a hill in very less time. Vertical structures as shown in the video are also there in many places. Also very impressed by the early warning systems. Those phone alerts are so loud and frightening that if the earthquake and tsunami doesnt kill you then those alerts might with an heart attack, lol. Just like the cascadia earthquake (predicted to happen with decent probability within next 50 years) we have the nankai trough megathrust earthquake waiting to happen in this part of Japan. Only difference is these happen with 3x more frequency and the latest prediction is 70% chance within next 30 years. Hope US not take it lightly and prepare well!

[@jamess5415]

Best advice take a deep breath and make peace

[@Jennifer83881]

Great to know. Thank you guys

[@user-io9ie5cs8j]

Very informative and Maiya is beautiful. I don't know if I want to evacuate, I'm 58yo I've watched 2 generations Ruin everything. You don't understand how blessed you've been, nor the damage you've done.

[@mj.l]

if you're 58, you're part of one of the generations that "ruin[ed] everything". what a weird fucking comment. don't bother evacuating.

[@Zoe_LaRynn]

Thank you for this video!! I regularly visit Cannon Beach Oregon and have family in Long Beach Washington. I didn’t know about the NVS website before this, and was able to find some assembly areas that are within minutes of these houses. I’ll make sure to give everyone else the information, so everyone knows where to go in the event of a tsunami. Now let’s just hope for the best 😅❤

[@toomanyopinions8353]

@PBS Terra You showed the tsunami reaching down through California. The evacuation map linked in the description only covers Oregon and Washington. Would you be able to link one like that for CA? My searches have only turned up maps that say if you are in the immediate hazard area for small tsunamis (only include like a mile inland as a hazard zone, despite the land around that also being flat), but I haven't been able to find a map that will actually show you where the closest high ground is like the map you have linked in the description.

[@KaritKtana]

The evacuation map website is only for WA and OR. Any map for CA?

[@gingadoodle7353]

Props to y’all for educating and spreading awareness for this impending disaster!

[@Tser]

I live in Oregon and I wish I could afford to have our house retrofitted for the Cascadia megaquake, but it's far too expensive. Our government recommends having two weeks worth of food and water for everyone in the household, but that can be hard to do with limited money and storage space on hand as well (especially since my house is probably just going to go splat, haha), but I do my best. I know they just built a community supply depot in Tillamook. I hope that the government all over the PNW is paying enough attention and devoting enough resources to this before it hits; it seems like infrastructure and retrofitting is kind of an afterthought in many areas. I also always check the tsunami routes any time I visit the coast.

[@fugithegreat]

I once spent a year on Sumatra in the city of Padang, only about half a kilometer from the ocean and right in the area that was affected in the 2009 tsunami. I was never put in harm's way that year, but a natural disaster was always in the back of my mind. Indonesians have to be so brave to be constantly bombarded with earthquakes and volcanos.

[@pablopereyra6328]

The speed of a 737 with the door open or closed?

[@bugsbane]

depends on the airspeed velocity of the european or african variant...

[@l.baileyjean3719]

Funny, with sadness.

[@mikeokeeffe4692]

Funnily relevant offhand joke these days....

[@pablopereyra6328]

@@mikeokeeffe4692 I agree to all...

[@hebneh]

Aircraft with all doors closed - they slow down appreciably once something’s popped open or has been torn off.

[@gappy10123]

Thanks for sharing this information!!!

[@tedyuan2066]

Lots of high ground in Vancouver Canada. We also invest in seismic upgrades of hydroelectric reservoirs and a varieties of critical infrastructures.

[@mackea1]

They need to make hundreds or thousands of vertical evacuation shelters along the west coast. Any new buildings that are built within the tsunami risk zone should be required to be a vertical shelter.

Lmao there's no money to be made, good luck.

[@henriquek.7355]

“In the event of an Earthquake you need to find the highest ground immediately”. Me, living in The Netherlands: “well, I’ll be damned”

[@MikMoen]

At that point you might be better off finding a boat and heading out to sea.

[@MikeGreenwood51]

Next time an estate agent is trying to sell you a house with terrific ocean views and in the safe dyke protected zone. Tell him you was a bouncy castle! Need I appologise for a sense of humour? But there is an element of truth in what I wrote. Why do Dutch people ride bicycles so much? Is it because they haven't invented the water tight sailing car, yet? Some Dutch people could make a few Euros marketing a bubble wrap plastic jacket (A Tsnami Jacket) and trousers. Not only can it keep a person afloat but in a winter Tsnami the north Sea is not what some may call warm. So bubble wrap acts also as insulation from the cold. Or a marine life jacket can do the job of helping a person stay afloat.

[@brothermayihavesomeloops7048]

Lacking the appropriate context because they made this video with unclear context to those who aren't brushed up on their plate tectonics.

[@marcjohnson7882]

I live in Crescent City and just saw my house on your map, basically surrounded by water. We're dry, but barely and more than a bit iffy. This is no surprise, we moved out of the mountains 15 miles away to escape wildfires. Beautiful place, but no easy way to be free.

[@thomasbernecky2078]

Having watched a lot of the Fukushima Tsunami footage, I can agree entirely. And the East Coast where I live is endangered too.

[@CurrentlyOnLV-426]

Thank you, Vancouver Island.

[@robynkolozsvari]

Seattle will probably be affected by the tsunami, but Portland... that seems less likely. it's a lot easier for that wave to travel through the deeper Salish Sea than up the Columbia. Portland will definitely have major issues from the earthquake itself, though. that said, i'm typing this from Neskowin, so whether or not Portland is affected, i definitely will be 😅

[@davephillips9389]

Ah the bunny place.

[@Alaskancrabpuffs21]

Greetings from Tillamook

[@billsmith5109]

Much has to do with tidal stage at time of earthquake. It’s hard to remember the bottom of the Columbia at the I-5 bridges is below sea level. The massive flow keeps the salt away. There is even a slight tide clear to the base of Bonneville Dam, a foot or two. When they say tsunami at PDX it’s only a block or two above the edge of the river, again tide stage matters. There’s time for the boathouse community for example to survive, if they choose to leave. Not PDX or Seattle, but something left off the script. Right at the coast, Ocean Shores, Long Beach, Astoria, Ilwaco, Coos Bay, Lincoln City and so on: The evidence is that the coast drops a meter or two. That’s not minutes later when tsunami arrives. That’s right while the earthquake is occurring. In five or eight minutes of shaking you might go from 10 feet above sea level to five feet above sea level.

[@AmyEugene]

It's like water from a garden hose. With nothing blocking the flow from the end of the hose, the water will only travel so far away from the end of the hose, but if you put your thumb over the end of the hose covering 50% the water travels farther away, and if you cover it 90% the water travels even further because the same volume of water trying to move through a more narrow area increases water pressure. The narrow channel up the river to Portland is like blocking the hose and increasing the water pressure. The water has the option of traveling up the Willamette River just before it would reach the Portland area and that's what would put areas like Old Town near the river in danger. The airport would be in danger from the Columbia River. Geologic studies have shown that previous tsunamis from the Cascadia earthquakes have reached the area where Portland has been built. During the Ice Age the Missoula floods released a tremendous amount of water from a lake that covered modern Spokane. The water traveled down the Columbia gorge and split at Portland where some water was forced up the Willamette River -- in the opposite direction of normal flow -- at least as far upriver as Salem, possibly further. Water is a very powerful thing.

[@stephenhoward6829]

I live in Kingston WA. 130 ft. above MLLW, 1/3 mile NW of the closest beach, which has major cliffs. The Tsunami would have had to first funnel down the straight of Juan De Fuca, then fan-out radically in both N. and S. directions, dividing it's force by 3, and it would then have to travel south past us before reaching an accessible beach-front, so the force of the wave would be going the wrong way. If the initial seismic event is survivable, then we'll make it. When the Tohoku quake Tsunami came, by the time it passed Kingston, it was measured in inches, not feet, so the in-sound attenuation is a very real effect.

[@JohnAranita]

Thanx, Mrs. May!!

[@KVixen]

Good work. Thank you. This awareness may save massive amounts of suffering.

[@craigthescott5074]

If you see the ocean receding run for higher ground immediately.

[@svenmorgenstern9506]

Well...I live 65 miles inland at 1500 feet elevation and within 2 miles of the San Andreas fault. If Casadia cuts loose I'm not worried about tsunamis. Anything San Andreas related I'm already as prepared for as I can be.

[@stephenhoward6829]

Used to live on the former N.A.S. Alameda, got moved to Kingston WA just weeks before the Loma P., so I know what you're talking about. Good luck!

[@johnbingham9241]

I live here in beautiful Hawaii, surrounded by the pacific ocean. Once, about 10 years or so ago, earthquake in the Cascadian subductoin zone, sent a small tsunami, went straight to Hilo.

[@TheTransporter007]

A friend who works in government informed me that FEMA will not even do VIP rescues west of I-5 in OR and WA if Cascadia lets go at full power.

[@alexlabs4858]

Cascadia is scary. One day we will see it.

[@grumpydixie1645]

hopefully not in our lifetimes

[@bugsbane]

so... if you were in a boat, head to deep water? what about a jetski? pick up as many as you can, then go to deepwater? we need more scenarios. if you're in a helicopter or paramotor take off as quick as you can? (What's the wind like above the tsunami?) can you survive it if you were in say, a zorb? should you stay inside a car or get out and try to outrun? and... if you were a surfer, and there's no chance of outrunning, should you just try one epic ride of your life just like in Niven's Lucifer's Hammer?

[@13DreamRiders]

In a boat, jetski, yacht, whatever floats, YES! HEAD FOR DEEP WATER!! you won't even feel the tsunami in deep water because it only grows and becomes more powerful as I runs out of deep seafloor and the seafloor starts rising to make a beach. That water is still coming in full force and is being forced to condense underneath making the water have to raise higher above sea level. Have you ever been to a wave pool? It's the same concept. The waves start in the deep end and are very gentle but as they get closer to the shallow end, which is where they tell you "if you're a baby toddler or weak swimmer" to go to during the waves🙄, they get stronger and more violent causing "surfer waves" that knock over anybody under the age of 6 or short or weak simmers that were told to be at that end during the waves potentially causing bodily harm because the wave crests and slams into them. Anything that flies and in the tsunami path should, yes, take off immediately as the wave will slam into them and cause more debris in the water that can harm anyone or anything which would cause more debris. It's a vicious cycle 🤷‍♀️. You'll NEVER outrun a tsunami unless you're THE Roadrunner if there's a clear path to drive through GO!! Just try not to run over anybody😬. Being in a vehicle could be both a cursing and a blessing. It'll save you from debris for the most part but the glass will eventually shatter and the water and debris will come rushing in potentially causing bodily harm and severe drowning risks. Or the vehicle could get stuck and end up completely submerged. So long as the windows hold you'll be safe but again once they break it's a case of stay put and drowned or swim out the broken window and hope to make it to the surface before you can no longer hold your breath or get hit by debris either knocking your ass out, which'll cause you to drown, or flat out kill you 🤷‍♀️. I'm betting ALOT of surfers would love to attempt to ride the wave but I'm hoping against hope that they have brains enough to go in the opposite direction of it because as that wave hots land it'll, once again, drag debris along with it that could harm the surfer and his board, which I understand is like their child and they nurture and care for it to the 9s plus I know they're hella expensive 😬, and that's just not worth the risk of life just for an adrenaline rush and showing off to the other surfers. As for a Zorb, I had to look up what that even was 😅, you're fucked. You'll ride on top of the wave, sure, but it being a giant plastic ball it's gonna puncture easily and then you're REALLY FUCKED. You're now trapped inside this giant ball which is gonna start filling up with water soon. If you're in a Zorb and you see a tsunami coming, get out PDFQ!! I haven't read Lucifer's Hammer so I can't comment on that but your insinuation tells me I need to read it ASAP 😂😂

[@ecurewitz]

Yes deep water is safe, the tsunami rides on the ocean floor

[@bugsbane]

@@13DreamRiders you're so lucky you haven't read Lucifer's Hammer because you've got that to look forward to! One of these days they'll make a great mini-series out of it. Excellent answers! Surfers might indeed survive if they start swimming further out in the ocean. This begs the question. might it not be safer if you can survive the outgoing tide to take advantage of that 'rip' to get as far out as possible (or will you just get dragged back in). I wish Maya would explore more of these alternatives - her clarity would be most welcome. Also the question about the Zorb was my attempt to envision an 'air-bag'-like lifeboat of sorts. cushioning from blunt force trauma - and providing surivability during the initial wave. Is it fair to say, if you've survived the first few waves (perhaps 30 minutes into the event) - are your chances of survival greatly increased? the convese question is: do people die more of blunt force trauma, or drowning or some post-event cause. If it's the first 2 - then the goal is really to survive the initial shock.

[@marcushennings9513]

If I were living in those zones, I'd always keep a brightly colored scuba tank close by much like a bug out bag because most wont be able to outrun it and get to higher ground with traffic and obstructions but if they can at least get that gear on to breath then even if they are washed out theres a chanch of being rescued.

[@user-xh7iu9wu3u]

You guys do a good job. Thank you!

[@sahildhama6315]

There are some mangrove forests which can dampen the force of the wave because of the angle between roots (which are outside the soil) of the trees and their strength. Kind of like the tetrahedral concrete things we keep at sandy shores. Tsunamis only accelerate when they run over sandy shores because it is way less cohesive than water running over water.

[@ecurewitz]

The PNW is too cold for mangroves

[@lifewuzonceezr]

Mangroves are also swamp..aka mosquito heaven..and people destroy those!! Belize it!

[@evolancer211]

It's always a great day when Miya is hosting 😊

[@amitabacchus6727]

Awesome program,thanks for sharing.

[@67comet]

Nice episode, I'm always gawking at the ocean when I get to see it (I'm from the mountains, we just worry about avalanches).

[@djmartin4776]

Buy a submarine and keep it in your backyard under a tarp

[@ycplum7062]

So running toward the shoreline to take a selfie is not a good idea? 😮

[@soliniv1411]

If you gona die anyway might aswell go out in style 😂

[@CartoonHero1986]

I don't know about building standards in the USA and Mexico regarding the west coast; but I do know in BC there are minimum building code requirements that state any static structures or super structures must be able to withstand an M2.5 ot M3 tidal wave impact. I think places like Vancouver require the M3 and places much further inland get the M2.5 but still within x km of the Pacific Coast. Even temporary structures over 3 meters require the ability to withstand upto a M1 tidal wave impact if they are outdoors or free standing

[@slypear]

Thank you for covering this likely to be calamitous eventuality~

[@GlitterGuru]

Ok that vertical evacuation tower disguised as an Oregon State building is genius

[@cliffcannon]

It is true the Cascadia Subduction Zone has had and will continue to have large earthquakes in the range of magnitude 7+ to magnitude 9+ at irregular intervals ranging from 200 to 700 hundred years, or even longer. It is _false_ that an earthquake is "overdue"-very approximate estimates are there is a one in eight chance of a magnitude 9+ earthquake, and a one in three chance of a magnitude 8+, in the next _fifty years._

[@ColumbiaB]

Yeah, glad to see someone made that point; I'd caught the misstatement at 1:30, with the comment, “The West Coast of North America is overdue for a subduction zone earthquake: the Cascadia megaquake . . . .” In the video’s otherwise solid presentation of information, it was too bad that it did not make the distinction that although (A) enough time (over 320 years) has elapsed since the last Cascade subduction zone quake, that another is now a real possibility, nevertheless (B) that period since the 1700 quake is not yet sufficient to render the Pacific Northwest “overdue” for the next such quake, in a statistically meaningful sense.

[@SoundzAlive1]

I wish you and others would describe how strong the water is when the tsunami arrives. Survivors have said they were overwhelmed and you cannot walk or swim or use any other method to escape. It is the volume of water behind which makes it so powerful and able to knock over large buildings.

[@AlexandarHullRichter]

One thing people forget is that if a natural disaster happens, using a car to evacuate is not going to be an option. If the roads even survive an earthquake, which they may not, the amount of people wanting to evacuate by car will be enough to overload the road system and make it useless. You know what rush hour is like? Imagine you have three times as many cars on the same road. If you get in a car, you're going to be trapped wherever that car gets stuck in traffic. If you have to evacuate a tsunami zone, you should count on not being able to use your car to do so.

[@Unsolicited-Info]

Landslide mitigation to prevent road closure or any path to higher ground becoming impassable is another strong thing that should be taken into consideration. Additionally, requiring all utility companies to retrofit their infrastructure such as power, sewage, water mains, etc. to being capable of withstanding 9.0+ category earthquakes.

[@Dragrath1]

Yeah landslides are another concern though you should also be wary about liquefaction as there are uncomfortably many fill zones from "regrading" efforts in cities out west there in the 20th century. Then there are the elevation drops as the overlying plate snaps back into place which is what screwed over Japan's preparedness for the 2011 megathrust quake.

[@Unsolicited-Info]

@@Dragrath1 agreed, I think Japan is arguably the epicenter for lessons learned regarding seismology

[@npsit1]

The answer to this is simple: Don't live near the coast.

[@Nobody-wd6ci]

I keep having tsunami dreams and this video was uploaded 5 days ago 😮

[@lisapeesalemonsqueezah3241]

I live in Vancouver Canada and I’m super nervous about this because I can’t figure out where I’m supposed to go. Apparently we’re supposed to get alerts with instructions but I don’t want to leave things to the last minute. What if my phone dies? What if the system glitches?

[@laurahallo1652]

Are schools in those areas building contingency plans as well? Could you imagine evacuating yourself and wondering what will happen to your children?

[@ignatiusryd2031]

When an earthquake hits and tsunami warnings raised, the only thing you can do is run and hoping that schools would be sturdy enough to withstand the earthquake and high enough to withstand the tsunami.

[@jollyandwaylo]

Where I live in the PNW, the schools have drills for this every year. All new schools are designed to survive earthquakes and I doubt any will be built in the tsunami zones from now on. When they were designing a new school here, they even planned for a gunman on the roof while kids are running out of the school. We made a trail in the woods so the kids would be pretty safe running to the church that is the emergency gathering place nearby. People love kids so, yes, they are prepared.

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

Live at 800’ altitude, 80 miles inland from the ocean. With a mountain range in between me and the ocean. I am only ~5 miles from a river that connects to the ocean, though. So good thing I’m at 800’ altitude.

[@nibblit]

Great job! Excellent video!

[@simonjones3863]

Good video. Excellent presentation. ++

[@RainebowEvee]

Living in a city built on a delta I'd be screwed during a big earthquake, tsunami or not... Liquefaction means the sediment will loosen and behave like a liquid and no amount of high ground will save from that. Though i will say the sky high land prices would become dirt cheap if that happened 😂

[@tashasmith1743]

Great info! I'm in the Puget Sound. Thanks 😊

[@urbex_coasters]

I'm moving to the San Juan islands, watching this so I know what to do. While the map says the islands are fairly safe (assuming because being sheilded by Vancouver Island and being north of the strait) it is still important I make sure I know what I'm doing just in case. And even so generally knowing what to do in an earthquake is very important.

[@ArnoldPelkaJr]

Im taking it that we collectively decided to just give up on prep for the subduction zone earth quake. Glad PBS at least gave us some prep -- better than our governments are doing to help

[@jollyandwaylo]

Who are you talking about? Which government is not preparing for the megaquake? In WA state we all have up to date planning and building codes that take that risk into consideration. You can go and find water inundation maps for your local area made by the governments. You can go find suggestions on what you should plan for and how much food and water you should have- all organized by governments. We have a local communication plan in our small town and many neighborhoods are organized with a plan -we even have walkie talkies ready. We organized ourselves but got help with overall organization and suggestions with our local government. If you have such a lousy government, you need to elect better people.

[@ArnoldPelkaJr]

@@jollyandwaylo that sounds great that Washington is doing alright. In Oregon, our bridges and buildings are not replaced nor shored up yet, and apartments were even given opt outs to some of the earthquake retrofitting requirements. We can do better.

[@mj.l]

@@jollyandwaylo don't let the truth get in the way of weirdly paranoid distrust of government. ;)

[@jollyandwaylo]

@@mj.l I'm not sure I know what you mean. I will follow the evidence whether it is from a government or directly from the science.

[@samstarlight160]

Oh dang I'm early! Fir- just kidding. Glad I won't ever have to worry about this living in the middle of the country lol

[@handimanjay6642]

Watched a documentary years ago that stated geological finds showed a 300 foot wave hit the PNC. That was enough to keep me from ever visiting the PNC.

[@jollyandwaylo]

that would be amazing since in 2011, the highest tsunami in Japan was 130 feet. Although the highest in history was 300 feet.