New Tsunami Evacuation Walk Time Maps and Simulation Videos for the Washington Coast

New Evacuation Walk Time Maps

The Washington Geological Survey has published seven new tsunami evacuation walk time maps for communities along Washington’s Pacific coast.

The new tsunami evacuation walk time map for Queets.

Click the name of a community below to view its new map as a PDF:

These maps show the amount of time it would take to evacuate at a slow walking pace from within the modeled inundation zone of a tsunami that originates from a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake. The maps show the tsunami inundation zone and paths of tsunami evacuation routes. Colors indicate how many minutes it would take to walk slowly to safety from any given location within the inundation zone.

The maps assume a slow walking pace of 2.46 miles per hour, the same pace used for the timing of cross walks. Note that in some places, a slow walk may not be fast enough to evacuate before waves arrive. In these cases, a faster evacuation pace will be necessary. Some areas may require vertical evacuation structures or new evacuation trails for successful evacuation.

Click here to access all of our published evacuation maps through an interactive map on our website (scroll down to see the interactive map).

New Simulation Videos

We have also released three new sets of simulation videos for the central Washington coast that show the extent and depth of tsunami inundation (on-land flooding) and maximum current velocities following a modeled magnitude 9.0 Cascadia earthquake and tsunami. The videos also provide an estimate for how much time will transpire between the earthquake and the arrival of tsunami waves on shore.

Whereas our published tsunami hazard maps show maximum inundation, the new simulation videos reveal the dynamics of the tsunami waves by showing how wave heights change throughout the entirety of the tsunami event, a span of many hours.

The simulation videos also show current velocities, which is particularly important for assessing maritime hazards. Partially enclosed bodies of water like bays and harbors can be particularly dangerous during a tsunami due to tumultuous and rapid currents produced during a tsunami.

The simulation videos are viewable on the DNR YouTube channel and downloadable as MP4 files through our website here. Here are direct links to the new videos on YouTube:

Pacific Beach

Pacific Beach—Wave Amplitude
Pacific Beach—Current Velocity

Taholah


Taholah—Wave Amplitude
Taholah—Current Velocity

Queets


Queets—Wave Amplitude
Queets—Current Velocity

The Great ShakeOut

The Great ShakeOut is a world-wide earthquake drill which happens every year in mid-October. This year it’s scheduled for October 19th at 10:19 a.m. During the drill, people in earthquake-prone areas practice what to do during an earthquake. The shaking during an earthquake makes it hard to move or even stay in one spot, so it is essential to react quickly to protect yourself as soon as the shaking starts:

Drop, cover, and hold!

Drop to the floor, cover yourself under sturdy furniture like a chair or desk, cover your head and neck with a hand, and hold on until the shaking ends.

For this year’s event, think of the three places where you spend the most time (such as home, work, school, or a friend’s house). Ask yourself:

  • How would you drop, cover, and hold on there?
  • Is there anything else you can do to make these places safer during an earthquake or other hazards?
  • If these locations are in a tsunami inundation zone, do you know your routes to get to high ground once the shaking stops? 

Shakeout is a great opportunity to also practice walking or running your tsunami evacuation route. Learn more about how to drop, cover, and hold on in a variety of environments at www.shakeout.org. Also remember that if you are on the coast during the Great ShakeOut, the sirens will sound an alert at 10:19 AM as part of the drill.

Additional resources:

Earthquakecountry.org has a series of preparedness webinars: 
www.earthquakecountry.org/safer-at-home

For kids, Rocket’s Earthquake Safety Activity Book: 
rocketrules.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Earthquake_Cont_English_072720.pdf

ShakeOut resources from EMD:
mil.wa.gov/shakeout