Your trusted source

A tsunami hitting the US Pacific Northwest potentially puts 100,000 people living along the coast at risk, and 23% of coastal communities won't find high ground in time, a new study shows, according to Sputnik.

Researchers from the US Geological Survey, University of Colorado Boulder, and California State University Sacramento, assessed tsunami preparedness in 73 communities along the 700-mile stretch of coastline along Oregon, Washington, and Northern California.

Thousands of people could make it to safety simply by taking a walk to higher ground, though they'd have to make sure to move quickly.

"We've identified several towns where moving faster can mean the difference between life and death," said, Nathan Wood, a geographer with the US Geological Survey and lead author of the study.

Of the estimated 21,562 residents that would not be able to escape a tsunami at a pace of 2.5 miles an hour, 67% are located in Washington State, 29% are in Oregon, and 4% are in Northern California. Picking up the pace to 3.5 miles per hour, however, brings the total population at risk down to 15,970, however.

Researchers found that 77% of communities would probably have enough time — 15-25 minutes — to walk to high ground in the case of a tsunami warning. Measuring the time needed to move on foot is important since, in the event of an earthquake, travel by car may be virtually impossible depending on the state of the roads.

For other areas — principally in southwest Washington state — that are far from any high ground, the study recommended escape towers or other protective structures be built.

"All coastal communities in the US Pacific Northwest are vulnerable to varying degrees to tsunami hazards from a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake," said Wood. "Having a better sense of how a community is specifically vulnerable provides officials with the ability to develop outreach, preparedness, and evacuation plans that are tailored to local conditions and needs."