On the Oregon coast? These maps could save your life

The Oregon coast is undeniably alluring.

Sandy beaches, rocky cliffs and outcroppings. Waterfalls, waterspouts, sand dunes. Puffins, pelicans, cormorants. Elk and whales.

In a state defined by access to wild beauty, the coast is one of the best places to find it.

As many people who live on and visit Oregon’s western border know, danger is waiting out in the ocean under the crust of the earth.

According to scientists, at any moment, the Pacific Northwest could experience a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake registering in the high 8 and even 9 range, frequently referred to as “the really big one.”

While that earthquake could cause catastrophic damage, the tsunami it creates could be much worse.

Oregon hasn’t experienced an event like this in living memory, but there have been analogous quakes.

In 2011, for example, the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan killed around 20,000 people.

That event began with a 9.1 subduction zone earthquake, which caused widespread destruction, fires and a tsunami with a maximum height of 130 feet. The massive wave caused the majority of the deaths and a nuclear accident.

Oregon scientists are hoping to help the coastal communities of this state survive a major inundation in various ways. One of those is detailed evacuation maps that anyone can access.

For years, the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries has been creating maps of what inundation would look like in cases of different types of earthquakes and tsunamis.

Now, they have a tool that allows anyone to put in an address on the Oregon coast and see exactly how they should evacuate on foot.

The maps show exactly how long it will take to get to higher ground, depending on whether you are walking, jogging or running, taking into account infrastructure that might be damaged during an earthquake.

“The geography of the Oregon coast is such that our tsunami zones are relatively narrow,” Laura Gabel, a coastal field geologist for the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, told The Oregonian/OregonLive late last year. “There’s accessible high ground for a lot of people on the Oregon coast.”

But, it is crucial that people visiting or living on the coast access these maps before an earthquake.

“Whatever purpose that draws you to the coast, the first thing is you need to be aware of the hazard,” said Jonathan Allan, another geologist for the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries.

“You need to know whether you’re going to be in a tsunami zone or out of the tsunami zone,” he said. “And then, if you are visiting or staying in a tsunami zone, then really it behooves you to know where high ground is and then be able to navigate out of the inundation zone.”

After an earthquake, people in the impacted area should receive ShakeAlert notifications on their phones. They may also receive tsunami warnings. But, there is no guarantee that the internet will work and trying to find the map then will be wasting precious moments.

This is why, Gabel noted, the tsunami evacuation maps are what she called a “pre-event planning tool.”

Much like it’s important to know where the exits are on a plane and where to find a lifejacket in the extremely unlikely event of a water landing, experts are hoping people familiarize themselves with escape routes regularly when at the coast.

Social scientists are working with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries on ways to make those maps more accessible to all residents and visitors.

And Gabel worked with an Oregon State University graduate student to create lessons for Oregon middle schoolers about tsunamis, including how to prepare and use the online tools. She’s tested the lessons on around 100 students in the Newberg area.

“Kids are obviously way better at being sponges to this information and they’re open to it and they bring it home to their parents,” said Gabel.

And, she said, these are lessons that can help kids across the state, not just those who live in tsunami inundation areas, since the coast is a big draw for everyone who lives in Oregon.

Visit nvs.nanoos.org/TsunamiEvac to find your tsunami evacuation route any time you visit the Oregon coast.