The ‘Very Real’ Tsunami Threat to Millions that Could Strike West Coast U.S. Anytime
The coast of US is in danger of a powerful tsunami that could wipe out millions of people and cause unthinkable damage.
The Cascadia Subduction Zone is seventy miles off America’s Pacific Northwest and stretches all the way from Vancouver Island to Northern California.
The tsunami would be caused by seismic activity in the Cascadia Subduction Zone – and should happen on average every 240 years.
Chris Goldfinger, Oregon State earthquake geologist, is warning of the imminent risk. The scientist and his team were the first to discover the next “Big One” is long over due.
They say that the signs that came before the 2011 Japanese tsunami which claimed 16,000 lives are happening around the subduction zone, but the US was not prepared for its effects.
Kenneth Murphy, Federal Emergency Management Agency’s regional administrator, said: “I would never say we are ready.
“At least 10,000 plus would be killed from the tsunami if a magnitude 8.0 quake hit. They tremendously go up from a magnitude 9.0 quake.”