Where in NorCal is most at risk of tsunami flooding? Check out these maps

A massive tsunami could submerge large swathes of Northern California’s coastline, leaving residents wondering if they live in an at-risk area and what to do if a threat arises, according to hazard maps reviewed by the Times. It is important to know what to do.

Some of San Francisco’s most historic neighborhoods, including the Financial District, Ferry Building, Fisherman’s Wharf, Palace of Fine Arts, Chase Center, Oracle Park, Zoo, and Treasure Island, were flooded by the tsunami. There is a possibility. The same is true for most of Alameda. Significant portions of Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, and Marin counties. Some areas near Silicon Valley, including the northern parts of Redwood City and Burlingame.

To the south, parts of San Mateo County’s coastal areas along Highway 1, such as parts of Pacifica and Half Moon Bay, are in tsunami danger zones, as are other parts of the county further south, such as the cities of Santa Cruz and Capitola. The same goes for popular tourist destinations. And Monterey.

Danger also extends to the north. Humboldt and Del Norte counties are at significant tsunami risk. Crescent City, near the Oregon border, was the site of California’s worst tsunami disaster in modern times, and the Eureka area, which borders Humboldt Bay, is a vast area with a long, narrow peninsula that could make evacuation difficult. There is sex.

Tsunamis remain rare in California. And even if that were to become a reality, it is certainly possible that the entire danger zone would not be flooded. There are many scenarios in which a tsunami can be predicted with hours of warning, with the most dangerous areas being confined to coasts and ports.

However, the risks can be far-reaching. A tsunami warning was issued covering much of the Northern California coast after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Humboldt County earlier this month. Because the quake occurred so close to the coast, officials said they had only minutes to decide whether to issue a warning.

In the end, no tsunami occurred, but emergency evacuations were still required in many areas. This shows how time is of the essence when a real emergency occurs.

If a large earthquake occurs nearby, a tsunami could hit Humboldt County 10 minutes after the quake, according to county documents.

The nightmare scenario for Northern California, Oregon, and Washington states would be a magnitude 9 earthquake along the Cascadia Trench off the coast. A major earthquake there could cause a tsunami in San Francisco within an hour. If a rupture occurs on an even closer fault, such as the Point Reyes fault, a tsunami could hit San Francisco in as little as 10 minutes, according to city documents.

According to the California Geological Survey, tsunami hazard areas represent areas of maximum flooding in several extreme and realistic scenarios. If you are on higher ground or inland from the zone, you should be safe from the tsunami.

However, people living, working, or reproducing in hazardous areas should have an evacuation plan in place, especially since authorities may have only a few minutes to decide whether to order everyone to evacuate to higher ground. .

Officials say it’s also important to know if you’re in a tsunami danger zone to avoid complicating evacuations for people who need to move. For example, there’s no need to flee San Francisco, where much of the city is in the safe zone. Walking a few blocks inland may be enough.

If you’re not sure if you’re in a tsunami zone and don’t have a map or evacuation sign, officials recommend heading 100 feet above sea level and two miles inland if possible.

It is important to remember that tsunamis are different from typical ocean waves. They are a series of waves that reach the shore like a wall of turbulent water or a rapidly rising flood. You can’t surf into a tsunami, and you should never try to watch a tsunami approach.

And the first tsunami might not be the worst. The first three storm surges that hit the Crescent City during the devastating 1964 tsunami caused by the magnitude 9.2 earthquake in Alaska were relatively small. The fourth, the largest at 21 feet tall, was pushed all the way to the port, California Geological Survey engineering geologist Nick Grail said in a webinar last year.

By the time the fourth surge hit, people had actually returned to the city and started cleaning up. Eleven people were killed and hundreds of buildings were destroyed.

Below is a map showing some of Northern California’s most populated areas that are within tsunami hazard zones, as determined by the California Geological Survey. Yellow areas indicate tsunami danger areas.

(A list of Southern California locations most at risk of tsunami flooding can be found here.)

san francisco

downtown

San Francisco’s Ferry Building, Embarcadero, Exploratorium, Fisherman’s Wharf, and key areas of the financial district are in tsunami danger zones.