The first Tsunamis Vertical Evacuation Structure to be constructed is in Westport Washington, it is the Ocasta Elementary school, built in 2015-2016. It occupies a place in the Cascadia subduction zone where a huge earthquake (9+ magnitude) is predicted to cause a tidal wave (Tsunami). The Tsunami is predicted to be 10 feet or more, (3-4 meters), occurring within minutes of the earthquake there is no horizontal escape route that would allow people in its path to evacuate rapidly enough. (This Link will lead you to the Ocasta Elementary School web site.)
There are coastal communities on the West Coast of the U.S. that are under threat not only from earthquakes but the resulting Tsunami's as well. FEMA developed guidelines to be applied towards the construction of Vertical Evacuation Structures in the year 2008. Serious talks pertaining to Vertical Evacuation began 3 years later in 2011, after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Japan, March 11, 2011.
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| A Vertical Evacuation Structure, very high very sturdy, all within a 20-minute walk, typically a person walks one mile in 20 minutes. |
The epicenter was 43 miles east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tohoku at a depth of 18 miles under the water. Referred to as the Great East Japan Earthquake, it was the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japanese history, and the 4th largest in the world since 1900, the first year records were kept. The resulting tidal wave was recorded as being as high as 130 feet, (40.5 meters) in Miyako, it traveled as far as 6 miles inland in the Sendal area. It shifted the Island of Honshu (Japans main island) 8 feet east, (2.5 meters) and shifted the entire Earth on its axis between 4 and 10 inches. It also increased the earth's rotational speed by 1.8 us (micro-second) per day. One microsecond is a unit of time equal to one-millionth of a second, so the rotation increased by very little but still noteworthy because it was an incredibly strong occurrence. The shaker caused the coast of Honshu to sink almost a meter (3.38 feet), after the earthquake it rebounded and in 3 years it regained its original height. 15,894 people lost their lives, 6,150 were injured and 2500 missing in twenty prefectures (a prefecture is a division of the area of Japan much like the states in the U.S.) Four years later, 2015, 230,000 (approximate) residents remained in temporary housing or those who must permanently relocate. A Japanese report released on February 10, 2014, tallied 127,290 buildings were totally destroyed by collapse, 272,788 "partially collapsed", and it left 747,989 buildings partially damaged, To this day Japan is still suffering consequences from that huge quake. Heavy damage to infrastructure, roads destroyed, bridge collapse, a Dam failed, and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant meltdown, causing hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate. Losses from that earthquake in insurance paid out alone is estimated at $34.6 billion, The bank of Japan issued $183 Billion to the banking system to normalize market conditions. The World Bank estimated the cost at $235 Billion, this was the most costly natural disaster in history. (Link)
So it stands to reason a serious effort to save lives and property would begin with planning ways to evacuate citizens. A horizontal evacuation was the norm in the years prior to the earthquake in Japan, in other words, run to higher ground and Good Luck. Tsunamis are fast, in the ocean at depths of over 3.7 miles 500 miles per hour is not unknown, they are slower in shallow waters just off the coast, but the height of the wave builds radically. Upon landfall after slowing in the shallow coastal water to 10-20 miles per hour, it is impossible to outrun a Tsunami, unless a person is capable of running a 6-minute mile for 6 miles, most of us are not able to do that. The only answer is to head to high ground, quickly, underestimating the power of the ocean and ignoring the signals and warnings of tsunami cost the lives of 200,000 people in the preceding decade. A common misconception is that a Tsunami is a single wave, it's not, many people have been swept away after believing the initial wave was the beginning and the end, however, there are always multiple waves. Yes, there are warning signs,
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| The power of water is always amazing. |
1) Look and listen for signs that warn of danger, if the beach starts shaking, leave immediately.
2) If the ocean looks strange, waves receding unnaturally or returning to sea rapidly, leave immediately.
3) When the Tsunami sirens sound, leave, don't ignore them.
If you are caught run for high ground, steel reinforced buildings, parking garages, climbing a tree works sometimes often not, however, and do not seek refuge in a vehicle or attempt to escape the event in a car. It doesn't take much to stop traffic, in a Tsunami situation people will be in a panic mode, if a traffic accident occurs, it will block everyone behind it from escape, adding to the death toll. People have a tendency to underestimate the power, the size of waves, the speed and most of all the distance inland a Tsunami can travel (10 miles). This is what inspired the Vertical Evacuation Structures.
Japan was at least as or more prepared than most of the world for an earthquake of this size, after all, they have engineering and scientific studies from as far back as the 1800's. They have today prediction and early warning systems that are state of the art, along with building codes written for withstanding Tsunamis and public education meant to save lives and minimize damage from the earthquakes. Japan has built Vertical Evacuation Structures consisting of a few different designs:
Tasudaru Tower: A steel platform, 6 meters off the ground capable of holding 50 people.
Nishiki Tower: A 5 story reinforced concrete lighthouse looking structure.
Shiahama Beach Resort Shelter: Very attractive concrete platform structure, able to accommodate 700 evacuees nearly 40 feet in elevation.
Aonae: A high earthwork was constructed.
There are many designs that have been used, and much more that will work, the issue is of course cost, as it is with nearly everything. Due to the varying designs, it is unknown at this point how these structures endure, unfortunately, it may take a Tsunami to be the deciding factor.
The good people in Westport Washington had their heads screwed on straight in my opinion, I believe it was a stroke of genius to build an elementary school as the community bug-out station, it is a 20-minute walk from the furthest predicted residences. My family was camping and surfing in San Diego many years ago, while on the beach in the late afternoon (San Onofre State Beach) a tsunami siren sounded. We did what everyone else did, we ignored it.
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| When the alarm sounds don't ignore it, leave immediately |
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