Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
earthquake faults in Puget Sound (e.g., the Seattle Fault, Tacoma Fault). California has recently
completed new tsunami inundation mapping and is currently producing tsunami evacuation
maps for all populated areas of the coastline. In other states and territories (Alaska, Puerto Rico,
Guam), tsunami evacuation maps are available only for certain communities, and few are avail-
able online. No tsunami evacuation maps currently exist for communities in the Gulf of Mexico
or the eastern U.S. coastline. As outlined in its strategic plan (National Tsunami Hazard Mitiga-
tion Program, 2009a), the NTHMP plans to inventory all tsunami evacuation maps by 2010 and
to thereafter increase the number of maps annually by 10 percent.
The majority of evacuation maps across the United States are available as digital PDFs or
printed brochures (Table 2.4). Public access to digital copies of evacuation maps is not consis-
tent or intuitive across the states. For example, local evacuation maps are available online at the
state geology department in Oregon and at a university-based seismic network organization in
Puerto Rico, while in most other states, they are provided by the state emergency management
or civil defense agency (Table 2.4). Hawaii was the irst state to create a dynamic online map-
TABLE 2.4
Availability and Format of Tsunami Evacuation Maps in Several U.S. States
and Commonwealths
State/
Commonwealth
Online Location for
Tsunami Evacuation Maps
Format of Available Maps
Alaska
•
Alaska Department of Natural Resources
•
Hazard maps for selected
communities (pdf )
California
•
California Emergency Management
Agency
•
Brochures (available online as PDF)
•
Online mapping application—
“My Hazards”
Guam
•
Guam Ofice of Civil Defense
•
Text-based descriptions of
evacuation plans
Hawaii
•
Hawaii State Civil Defense
•
Stand-alone evacuation maps (PDF)
•
Online mapping application
(Google-enabled)
Oregon
•
Oregon Department of Geology and
Mineral Industries
•
Oregon Coastal Atlas
•
Brochures (available online as PDF)
Puerto Rico
•
Puerto Rico Seismic Network, based at the
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
•
Brochures (available online as PDF)
Washington
•
Washington State Emergency
Management Division
•
Washington Dept. of Natural Resources
•
Brochure (available online as PDF)
SOURCE: Committee member.
