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Worst-Case Tsunami Scenario Mapped

Posted by: Nate Berg

20 December 2009 - 7:00am

The event of a huge earthquake off the Aleutian Islands could send a devastating tsunami towards the West coast of the U.S. Researchers have released maps of what a worst-case scenario might look like for coastal communities.

"The danger has long been known, but Thursday a team of state scientists and emergency management specialists announced they have completed an updated series of 135 "inundation maps" covering shoreline areas in the state's 30 coastal counties and every harbor and inlet that could be threatened.

The maps reveal in detail just how far large tsunamis might send ocean waters rushing inland to threaten beaches and coastal towns. They also indicate evacuation routes that lead to higher ground. The maps are being released online today by the California Emergency Management Agency."

Waves could rise more than 20 feet, inundating many of the state's coastal cities.

Full Story: Maps show where tsunami floods would hit state
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, December 18, 2009
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All of that only scratches the surface of what's wrong with this study. The idea that complex urban development patterns and human behavior can be meaningfully studied according to one primary criteria — density — is wrong from the start.
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