Knowledge in waves: ‘It Could Happen Tomorrow’ West Coast tsunami review
As I began writing this, I received a text message alert on my cell phone from the US Geological Survey (USGS) for the aftershock of a 6.5-magnitude earthquake that hit in the Fiji Islands region earlier in the day.
There was a time not long ago that many people considered an earthquake “the event.”
In most cases it is, but a tragic event on Dec. 26, 2004, proved that there was a big exception. That day, under the Indian Ocean, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake sent a deadly wall of water to the coast of Indonesia. I remember receiving a USGS text message alert for it that night and immediately knew the strength of the quake meant fatalities. What surprised me was that the deaths came not from the land, but from water. Most people, including myself, know more about tsunamis these days.
The upcoming “It Could Happen Tomorrow” West Coast tsunami episode, which airs next Sunday on The Weather Channel, does a good job of explaining how the same scenario is waiting to play out in towns that dot the Washington and Oregon coasts. Through an excellent mix of computer simulations and videotaped footage of past events, the picture becomes clear: The Pacific Northwest must prepare for the chance of a massive earthquake off the coast, and impending 30-foot-plus waves that come crashing ashore.
The show illustrates the how’s and why’s well by turning to geologists at the USGS, and experts from Seattle Emergency Management, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Cascadia Region Earthquake Group.
One who might be the best beacon of warning for those on a coast at risk, however, is a resident of Kodiak, Alaska, who experienced the wrath of a 9.2-magnitude earthquake and deadly tsunami in his small town in March 1964. The horror left him as shaken as his surroundings.
The first image I saw of earthquake damage was in the National Geographic book “World Around Us” (or something similarly titled) when I was a young kid. That 1964 quake image is included in the archival footage of this episode to prove that it has happened to the US before. I recognized the video of a greatly sunken Fourth Avenue in Anchorage right away.
In waves over the years, I learned more about the power of earthquakes, and just months ago, tsunamis. This episode will help many who watch it better comprehend both.
The episode runs 30 minutes, and is packed with facts, but a quick explanation of what causes water to recede just before a tsunami hits, and a brief mention of the risk to northern neighbors British Columbia and it’s major city, Vancouver, would have been nice additions.
As with all previous episodes, the series offers excellent explanations and valuable advice.
Those who would be directly affected by a tsunami need to have a plan in place today, and the show makes some very important suggestions. For the rest of the viewers who live well inland, the show is interesting, informative, and is likely to provide a clearer understanding of an event that could make headlines across the nation tomorrow.
My wife said the show helped her understand earthquakes and tsunamis better, after quipping that one of the USGS geologists interviewed has a fitting last name: Atwater.
The West Coast tsunami episode of “It Could Happen Tomorrow” airs on The Weather Channel Sunday March 5 at 9:30 p.m. EST.
Similar episodes slated to air include (Dates subject to change):
March 12 – New Madrid Fault (Memphis, TN)
March 26 – California Fire
April 2 – Sacramento Flood
April 9 – San Francisco Quake (Airs 9 days before the 100th anniversary of the “original” quake)
April 16- Colorado Flood
Top 5 WXnation.com city weather and webcam pages visited on Saturday: 1. New Orleans 2. Dallas/Fort Worth 3. Boston 4. Houston 5. Toronto … See the top 20 so far this month in the center column of our home page.
I am the author of the recently released book, “The Man Who Predicts Earthquakes.” The Cascadian Tsunami–a Real Threat and talk of a seiche at Lake Tahoe, the Indian Ocean quake-tsunami, etc. are all discussed in length.
Cal Orey