Oregon tsunami sign upgrade (Portland, Eugene: 2015, hotels, homes)

[pnwguy2]

I lived in Eugene and did some work on the coast in the mid-2000's (2005 at or about). At the time I noticed that they were developing a tsunami hazard sign system, but was just developing at the time.

On a recent visit a couple of weeks ago, I see the signs have been upgraded greatly to show motorists when they are entering and leaving these danger zones. I like the upgrades, but my question is, is this enough? I think the entire process is dependent on everyone having a very good plan and to being prepared. Signs can help, but so many don't have a plan. That is scary. What, if anything, can be done additionaly to avoid a total disaster along the populated Oregon Coast?

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

I lived in Eugene and did some work on the coast in the mid-2000's (2005 at or about). At the time I noticed that they were developing a tsunami hazard sign system, but was just developing at the time.

On a recent visit a couple of weeks ago, I see the signs have been upgraded greatly to show motorists when they are entering and leaving these danger zones. I like the upgrades, but my question is, is this enough? I think the entire process is dependent on everyone having a very good plan and to being prepared. Signs can help, but so many don't have a plan. That is scary. What, if anything, can be done additionaly to avoid a total disaster along the populated Oregon Coast?

Well, take a look at what is being done up your way and it's probably a mirror image of what is happening down here.

I was involved in the state's first attempt to put up the tsunami warning signs: they were immediately vandalized - shot up, torn down, chopped to bits. Mayors, councilmen, Chamber of Commerce reps wanted nothing to do with them and wanted them taken down because they might scare residents, but most importantly, they might scare tourists away. Over the decades since, it has become a more accepted thing. Cities have tsunami evacuation plans, school kids are drilled in evac plans, the state has a plan in place which might actually prove ... adequate. Maybe. Hotels have signage for customers now.

It is a step forward. But the problem is that so much of the coast was developed before the hazards were understood and there are many buildings, schools, government offices, stores, homes, etc in areas that will have a real problem and one that can't really be mitigated away. The water inundation, landslides, road/bridge collapses, shuts off of power, water, sewer - that is all a big issue. Can it be stopped? No. Can it be mitigated? A little -with a lot of money that neither the state nor the coastal areas have.

My plan (and I am headed to the coast to stay in a low-lying area for 2 weeks) is always to know where the evac routes are and keep a "go bag" by the door (laptops, wallets, keys, ID, money) and a largish pack with food and water and a few other necessities in the truck. Do I think there will be a large and likely deadly earthquake and tsunami along the coast? Yes, and within the human time scale. Do I think it will be this week or the next? No. But it is coming at some point.

[leastprime]

Most visitors to the coast don't stay long enough to have any great exposure to a tsunami.
Those who reside near/on the beaches, just need to heed the sirens and cell phone alerts. Fortunately the tsunami safety zones are not too far away, normally across 101. The Oregon coasts' ruggedness is also its refuge to the BigOne.
If the BigOne occurs, don't be slow in breaking camp. GO, you got, max 20 minutes, to climb a minimum of 30 feet above sealevel.

I would be more aware of the rising sealevels especially to the moon's cycle and storms.

[leastprime]

I am less worried about a Tsunami at Pacific City ever since the building codes were relaxed to allow building on the first dune, west of Resort Drive. The ocean front homes and the sand buildup make an effective wave break and will delay the surge into the Nestucca Valley.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by leastprime

Most visitors to the coast don't stay long enough to have any great exposure to a tsunami.
Those who reside near/on the beaches, just need to heed the sirens and cell phone alerts. Fortunately the tsunami safety zones are not too far away, normally across 101. The Oregon coasts' ruggedness is also its refuge to the BigOne.
If the BigOne occurs, don't be slow in breaking camp. GO, you got, max 20 minutes, to climb a minimum of 30 feet above sealevel.

I would be more aware of the rising sealevels especially to the moon's cycle and storms.

Agreed, the signs are there to tell people where they would be safe in the event of a tsunami. In the event of a tsunami sirens would be going off and local law enforcement would set up roadblocks at the signs, to keep people out. Of course as much as some here love to worry about it, odds are nothing like that will even happen in our lifetimes.

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Agreed, the signs are there to tell people where they would be safe in the event of a tsunami. In the event of a tsunami sirens would be going off and local law enforcement would set up roadblocks at the signs, to keep people out. Of course as much as some here love to worry about it, odds are nothing like that will even happen in our lifetimes.

Well, the New York Times certainly raised the alarm a couple of years ago, then backed off a bit with the a lower-key followup.

https://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2...rthwest-coast/

My understanding is based on some pure statistics. The last major tsunami to hit the NW coast was in 1700 AD. The best scientific evidence is these events occur roughly every 300-500 years. Which means we are now in the window of this possibility. This has been known and generally accepted for decades.

However, even with this "knowledge", we can't be certain. While it could happen tomorrow, predicting such an event is a gamble. I agree, it could be when we are all dead and gone. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't prepare for it.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by leastprime

I am less worried about a Tsunami at Pacific City ever since the building codes were relaxed to allow building on the first dune, west of Resort Drive. The ocean front homes and the sand buildup make an effective wave break and will delay the surge into the Nestucca Valley.

Don't count on it. It's all about elevation. Watch some videos of the Japanese tsunami flowing through urban streets. The buildings and barriers actually makes things worse because the currents are so much more extreme when channeled through narrow openings and those were mostly concrete and rebar buildings. The wood structures of the sort that Pacific City is made of mostly become floating debris in a tsunami.

By the time a major tsunami reaches the Nestucca Valley it will be pushing the millions of tons of debris that was Pacific City in front of it. It's going to roar right up that river.

[pnwguy2]

I think anyone who minimizes the threat (as in, "won't happen in my lifetime"), is playing with fire. While I am not one to yell "fire" in a theater, I am concerned with the Oregon Coast.

The population on the OR coast is much greater than the WA coast, and there is a reason for that. It is simply more scenic. You could probably add the fact that Portland is closer to the coast than Seattle is to its coast.

Backtracking, I drove from Newport to Lincoln City a couple of weeks ago and it was a major traffic bottleneck. Nothing new in the summer, plus road construction...guess what there is no way around it. The point is, while I was stuck in this traffic I thought about this tsunami scenario and what if it happened in this traffic jam. Believe me, I'm not a fatalist, but the thought crossed my mind. How would anyone get out alive?

So back to original premise. Prepare. Know the escape routes. Have an emergency kit. Situational awareness.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

I think anyone who minimizes the threat (as in, "won't happen in my lifetime"), is playing with fire. While I am not one to yell "fire" in a theater, I am concerned with the Oregon Coast.

The population on the OR coast is much greater than the WA coast, and there is a reason for that. It is simply more scenic. You could probably add the fact that Portland is closer to the coast than Seattle is to its coast.

So back to original premise. Prepare. Know the escape routes. Have an emergency kit. Situational awareness.

I expect the bigger reason is that the WA coast has no natural harbors north of Grays Harbor so there was no historic development of fishing towns or logging towns along that coastline. No place for ships and fishing boats to dock. The Oregon coast has many more natural bays and harbors that facilitated the development of coastal towns around fishing and timber. US 101 also runs well inland through most of WA and much of the coastal land is tribal. The WA coast has many gorgeous spots, they are just MUCH harder to get to and often require hiking or sea kayaking.

[leastprime]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Don't count on it. It's all about elevation. Watch some videos of the Japanese tsunami flowing through urban streets. The buildings and barriers actually makes things worse because the currents are so much more extreme when channeled through narrow openings and those were mostly concrete and rebar buildings. The wood structures of the sort that Pacific City is made of mostly become floating debris in a tsunami.

By the time a major tsunami reaches the Nestucca Valley it will be pushing the millions of tons of debris that was Pacific City in front of it. It's going to roar right up that river.

I don't think there is that much stuff in PC to amount to more than couple of hundred thousands of tons of debris.

check out the fog 8/15/2018, 1030am
Pacific City Webcam

Fukushima's Tsunami was 20 meters+ at the reactor's seawall. 40 meters and 6 miles inland at places.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_T...ke_and_tsunami