Tsunami Information

I've had a couple comments and several emails regarding Tsunami's on the west coast of the United States. At this time we have a very good off shore warning system but there are two kinds of Tsunami's after an earthquake. A local Tsunami (and the most dangerous) can come ashore withing 15 to 20 minutes after an earthquake. People who live at sea level or lower than 100 feet above sea level are instructed to evacuate to higher ground immediately when they feel the ground shaking. A distant Tsunami will take up to 4 hours or more to come onshore. Since you probably won't feel the earthquake, typically there is time for an official warning so you can evacuate to safety. People who live & play in these areas just need to be prepared and know what to look for. As you can see by the following article, we have had them on the west coast.

1964 Tsunami Affecting the West Coast of North America
Now known as the Good Friday Tsunami, the west coast, especially in the state of Alaska, was affected by a tsunami that was the most devastating ever in the continent of North America. On March 28th 1964, the United States experienced its biggest earthquake in history near College Fjord in Prince William Sound of the coast of Alaska that measured 9.2 on the Richter scale. The earthquake lasted for three to five minutes in most areas with jolting of the ocean floor creating large tsunamis. Although the earthquake did cause some destruction, the majority of death and property damage was caused by the resulting tsunami. The small Alaskan coastal communities of Girdwood, Portage, Vladez, and some native villages were absolutely decimated. There were a total of 106 people killed in Alaska due to the tsunami waves which reached heights of 11.5 meters (38 feet).
The tsunami traveled south along the west coast to impact the Canadian province of British Columbia
The mainland coast and Vancouver Island were affected where houses were seen being washed away to sea. Considerable damage was also felt in Crescent City, California where eleven people lost their lives. Even Hawaii, thousands of kilometers away felt the impact of the tsunami.