State Study Calls For Tsunami Evacuation Structures In Coastal Communities

Tom Banse reports on a Washington state study which found that "dozens of elevated evacuation platforms are needed along the Washington coast to ensure people can escape a tsunami spawned by a major earthquake on the offshore Cascadia fault zone." Acknowledging that many coastal residents may not be able to reach higher ground in the 10 to 20 minute tsunami warning window, the study recommended 55 to 85 coastal "evacuation structures" to protect residents living in high-risk areas.

Two evacuation platforms have been built in Newport, Oregon and Westport, Washington, each capable of holding 900 to 1,000 people. Local officials in the two states are using FEMA funding to design and build similar structures. And while "[s]ome emergency planners have qualms about relying on vertical evacuation structures because it entails leaving potentially large clusters of people in the midst of a disaster zone who will need to be rescued later," writes Banse, many city leaders deem the structures necessary to prevent deaths in coastal communities where higher ground is too far away.