Tsunami Warnings and Preparedness

Tsunami Warnings and Preparedness for Long Beach, WA USA

There are no active watches, warnings or advisories for zone WAZ021.

What Is A Tsunami?

Tsunami (soo-NAH-mee): a Japanese word that means harbor wave; a sea wave of local or distant origin that results from large-scale seafloor displacements associated with large earthquakes, major submarine slides, or exploding volcanic islands. Typically generated by seismic or volcanic activity or by underwater landslides, a tsunami consists of a series of high-energy waves that radiate outward like pond ripples from the area in which the generating event occurred.

Not all earthquakes produce tsunamis. To generate a tsunami, an earthquake must occur underneath or near the ocean, be very large (approximately Richter magnitude 7 or greater), and create vertical movement of the sea floor. However, recent studies regarding the potential for a great Cascadia Subduction zone earthquake off the Washington, Oregon, and Northern California coastlines indicate the local tsunami waves may reach nearby coastal communities within minutes of the earthquake thereby giving little or no time to issue warnings.

How will I know if a Tsunami is coming?

The West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WC/ATWC) is responsible for tsunami warnings for California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) provides warnings to international authorities, Hawaii, and U.S. Territories within the Pacific Basin.

The WC/ATWC and PTWC may issue the following bulletins:

Information: A message with information about an earthquake that is not expected to generate a tsunami.
Advisory: An earthquake has occurred in the Pacific Basin, which might generate a tsunami.
Watch: A tsunami was or may have been generated, but is at least two hours travel time to the area in Watch status.
Warning: A tsunami was, or may have been generated, which could cause damage; therefore, people in the warned area are strongly advised to evacuate.

If you're near a coastal beach, here are ways to know a tsunami may be imminent and you need to seek higher ground:

A warning siren may sound.
Seawater may recede quickly.
The ground may shake, indicating an earthquake has occurred.
Your NOAA Tone Alert radio issues a warning that a tsunami may be headed to your area.
Sign up for free Email and Text Mesage Tsunami Alerts from the West Coast Tsunami Warning Center

Tsunami Evacuation Maps

During a distant source tsunami event, Pacific County Emergency Management officials may recommend that residents evacuate by one or more of several methods. The Pacific County Emergency Notification Network is a telephonic warning system that will dial county residents through the public switched telephone network. A recorded message will provide residents the information pertinent to the event. In addition, a message will be broadcast over NOAA weather radio. Pacific County fire departments and districts will also be dispatched to broadcast a message via truck mounted PA systems when time allows.

View Pacific County Tsunami evacuation maps by clicking below:

Tsunami Preparedness

Live on the Coast? Is your community TsunamiRead? Visit the TsunamiReady site!