The bottom line in this LA Times piece is that we aren't prepared. I certainly agree with that. Tsunamis are back on everyone's radar after the disaster in the Indian Ocean a year ago. California has a tsunami alert system, but it is sort of feeble in that the State contacts each county and the county has to figure out its own way to alert people. We had an alert earlier this year - showed up like bad weather alerts on television - but it was as a result of an earthquake offshore near the Oregon border, an event that would have no effect on us.
We do have them here, historically. This article talks about 80 in the last 150 years. Here in Santa Barbara County, a local account of an earthquake and tsunami in 1812 is said to have pushed a ship a half-mile up Refugio Creek and then back out to sea.
After the Indian Ocean tsunami, I took a look at the topographic maps of this area that I have on the wall in my office, and decided if a big one hits here during working hours I may be toast. Our office building is just about a mile from the beach, elevation 5 ft., on the north edge of Goleta Slough, a large creek and wetland that is mostly filled in and used as the airport. The mouth of Goleta Slough is flanked by two bluffs 40-50 ft. high and a tsunami hitting there would be funneled by the bluffs, pushed higher and therefore farther inland and aimed right at us. There wouldn't be time or opportunity to go inland. About our only chance would be to go to the second floor or roof of our two-storey building and hope that it was high enough and the building strong enough to hold out.
If one hit on the evening or weekend and we were at home we would probably be okay. Our house is in the foothills, two miles from shore, at a lofty 120 ft. Highway 101 is in a cut between the shore and our house, and that "trench" would absorb lots of the force.
Not nervous or anything, just thinking ahead.
No comments:
Post a Comment