Latest news with #CaliforniaCoast
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
California tsunami: Here's where damage and casualties could be the worst
Tsunamis pose a risk to the entire California coast. But should a major one strike, how bad could it be? A single tsunami likely won't cause the worst-case scenario for every region. But in total, more than 680,000 Californians are in a tsunami hazard area during the daytime. And in all, $12.6 billion in damage is possible across California's 20 coastal and bayside counties — a figure that doesn't include damage to ports, harbors, roads, essential facilities or other infrastructure. There are two main types of scenarios for a tsunami. The first, a "distant-source" tsunami, comes from far away, like one spawned by a major earthquake in Alaska. That would provide an extensive warning — six hours for L.A. and five hours for San Francisco — but could produce the highest level of inundation for large swaths of the state. Then there are "near-source" tsunamis, which can wash ashore in as little as 10 minutes following a nearby earthquake — leaving little time for a notice or evacuation. Here are some scenarios for different parts of California. Unless otherwise mentioned, figures are from the California Tsunami Program, which is run by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the California Geological Survey. Read more: These California coastal cities face heightened flood danger from tsunami, data show Distant-source tsunami: More than 350 people could die or be injured along the Southern California coast if people wait to evacuate half an hour after an official evacuation warning is given. That includes about 200 casualties in Los Angeles County, roughly 80 in San Diego County, 60 in Orange County and about a dozen in Ventura County. A hypothetical magnitude 9.3 earthquake from Alaska — similar in scale to the monstrous 1964 tsunami-generating temblor — would offer six hours of warning; large temblors from Chile could provide 13 hours of warning. The maximum projected distant-source tsunami could bring waves of 15 feet above the mean sea level to Marina del Rey, the Santa Monica Pier, Naples and Alamitos Bay; 14 feet elsewhere in other parts of Long Beach; 10 feet at Manhattan Beach, San Pedro and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach; 9 feet in Malibu, Redondo Beach and Palos Verdes Hills; and 8 feet at Leo Carrillo State Beach. Those estimates were issued by the California Geological Survey and published in the city of Los Angeles' hazard mitigation plan. Damage estimate from distant-source tsunami: More than $1.4 billion. Near-source tsunami: Los Angeles could see a tsunami move from its source to coastal areas in as few as 10 or 15 minutes, the city's tsunami plan warns. According to public documents, depending on the fault that ruptures, or where an underwater landslide is triggered, there could be locally generated tsunami heights of 30 feet in Avalon on Catalina Island; 24 feet at Palos Verdes Hills; 18 feet in Two Harbors; 11 feet in Redondo Beach; 9 feet in Malibu; 8 feet in Long Beach and the Santa Monica Pier; 7 feet in Manhattan Beach and San Pedro; 5 feet in Marina del Rey; and 4 feet at Leo Carrillo State Beach. In the city of Los Angeles, officials say that the most catastrophic scenario would involve an underwater landslide triggered by an earthquake, because "we wouldn't know that that landslide would occur until the wave arrives," said Jon Brown, assistant general manager for the city's Emergency Management Department. Other L.A. County areas with considerable vulnerability include the ports, as well as San Pedro and Long Beach. The city of Los Angeles has an estimated 23,000 residents in the tsunami hazard area. In Long Beach, the number is 31,000. Read more: The tsunami that battered Santa Cruz highlights the threat facing California's coast Distant-source tsunami: More than 230 people could die or be injured if people wait half an hour to evacuate after an official warning is given. Santa Cruz County could see more than 130 casualties; San Luis Obispo County, about 80. The estimated potential casualty tolls could be 16 in Monterey County and seven in Santa Barbara County. Damage estimate from distant-source tsunami: More than $3.5 billion. Near-source tsunami: Santa Cruz and Monterey counties could see a tsunami within minutes following quake-triggered underwater landslides, documents from both counties say. "Even a moderate earthquake could cause a local-source tsunami from submarine landsliding in Monterey Bay," public documents say. A near-source tsunami could bring waves of up to 15 feet above the mean sea level in the city of Marina, 9 feet at the Salinas River; 8 feet at the Pajaro River and Sand City, just northeast of Monterey, and 6 feet at Moss Landing, according to data published in Monterey County's hazard mitigation plan. Such devastation would not be unprecedented. A large earthquake in the Santa Barbara area in 1812 resulted in a tsunami "that wiped out many coastal villages and destroyed ships in the harbor," according to the U.S. Geological Survey. And 7-foot waves resulted from a tsunami in 1927, generated by an earthquake about 5 miles west of the Santa Barbara County coast, according to the California Geological Survey. The USGS said there's evidence of deposits from underwater landslides offshore of Santa Barbara dating back over 160,000 years, which suggests that "future earthquakes could cause large submarine landslides and devastating tsunamis." Read more: Can a tsunami happen in Southern California? What should you do about it? Distant-source tsunami: More than 1,300 people could die or be injured if people wait half an hour to evacuate after an official warning is given. About 500 of them could be in San Francisco; about 300 apiece in San Mateo and Marin counties; nearly 200 in Alameda County and 33 in Contra Costa County. Just north of the region, in Mendocino County, five people could die or be injured in that scenario. A hypothetical tsunami-generating earthquake in Alaska could provide 5 hours of warning; one from Chile could provide 13 hours of warning. The maximum projected distant-source tsunami could result in tsunami of 32 feet above mean sea level in San Francisco's Ocean Beach; 31 feet in Pacifica in San Mateo County; 27 feet in Bolinas in Marin County; 18 feet in Alameda; 14 feet in Sausalito and San Francisco's Aquatic Park; 13 feet on Alcatraz Island; and 11 feet in Richmond and Treasure Island, according to the California Geological Survey. Damage estimate from distant-source tsunami: More than $6.5 billion. Near-source tsunami: In Northern California, a near-source tsunami could generate a tsunami of 9 feet above sea level in Bolinas; 8 feet in Pacifica; 7 feet in Sausalito; 6 feet at Ocean Beach; 5 feet in Alameda; and 4 feet at Alcatraz Island, Treasure Island, Aquatic Park, Redwood City and Richmond. Read more: The California tsunami danger is real. The 7.0 earthquake is wake-up call to prepare Cascadia scenario: Given its proximity to the Cascadia subduction zone, Del Norte County — the state's northernmost coastal region — is perhaps more exposed to tsunami risk than any other part of California. If people wait 10 minutes after an earthquake to evacuate — the shaking itself would be the warning to flee — more than 3,150 are at risk of being killed or injured by tsunami in Del Norte County, and more than 720 would be at risk in neighboring Humboldt County. Flooding could reach up to 30 feet above the average high tide along the outer coast of Humboldt Bay and the Eureka area, and up to 50 feet toward Crescent City. "A large quake generated by the Cascadia subduction zone could create waves twice as large as the 1964 event, especially in Crescent City," Rick Wilson, a former head of the California Geological Survey tsunami program, said in a statement. Damage estimates: Del Norte County, which is home to Crescent City, could see more than $1 billion in damage. Humboldt County, home to Eureka, could see $22 million. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Scientists warn America's wealthiest cities are SINKING... and could disappear in 25 years
California 's wealthiest cities could soon sink under the waves of rising sea levels, according to a report predicting alarming changes throughout the US by 2050. Researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) revealed that Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Alameda are all among the coastal cities which have seen their local sea levels rise since 2018. Rising sea levels and continued land erosion threaten to exacerbate flooding and subsidence (sinking of the ground) in these areas. The new data showed that San Diego is experiencing the highest amount of sea level rise along the entire West Coast, rising 2.6 millimeters a year. By 2050, all four of these cities are predicted to see their local sea levels rise several inches above the projected average for that year. That may lead to dramatic changes along the entire California coast due to higher tides flooding out more communities, less tourism due to fewer beaches, and millions evacuated from sinking properties. However, the new report by VIMS discovered an even more alarming forecast in several other parts of the US. The report also found that major metropolitan areas like New York and Boston are facing even higher rates of sea level rise that threaten to reshape those cities. In California, the sea level 'report card' adds to mounting concerns that the state is facing a climate-related emergency that threatens to cause billions in damage. The Public Policy Institute of California noted that these changes in sea levels along the coast could lead to $18 billion worth of buildings being inundated with flood waters. More than 26 million of California's 40 million residents live along the coast. In San Francisco alone, the group claims that it will cost $110 billion to properly protect the Bay Area from higher sea levels by 2050. A study by NASA in February projected that sea levels will rise more than twice as much as previously expected in parts of San Francisco and Los Angeles by 2050. While sea levels are actually rising at a relatively stable rate along the West Coast, researchers found that the problem is speeding up at an alarming pace in several other regions. Molly Mitchell, an assistant professor at the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences and VIMS, revealed that Georgia and South Carolina have seen a surprising rise in local sea levels in recent years. 'We continue to see the fastest rates of sea level rise in Gulf states like Texas and Louisiana, but many of the East Coast stations are accelerating quite quickly,' Mitchell said in a statement. In February, scientists from NASA mapped land sinking (shown in blue) in coastal California cities and in parts of the Central Valley. NASA also tracked where the grounds was rising, a condition called uplift (shown in red) The researcher added that these trends along the East Coast were likely the result of glaciers melting in the nearby Greenland ice sheet. Overall, the new report looked at the sea level trends and projections in 36 coastal communities around the US. Most of the team's projections are based on 55 years worth of data on average global sea level rise. They collected measurements from tide gauges, which are tools placed at specific coastal spots that track the ocean's height over time. These gauges record the average sea level each month, as well as high and low water levels during events like storms. Next, the researchers looked at how fast the sea level has been rising and whether that rise is speeding up, which they call 'acceleration.' They also considered long-term patterns, like changes caused by climate events such as El Niño, which can affect sea levels for years. Using all this data, they calculated trends for each location and predicted what the sea level might be in 2050. However, since sea levels do not rise uniformly throughout the world, they also factored in rising or sinking land and local ocean currents in these cities to make their predictions. Their forecast specifically sounds the alarm of a future sinking crisis along the East Coast in Boston, New York, Baltimore, Charleston, and Savannah. Each of these East Coast cities is projected to see their local sea levels rise by more than a foot by 2050. The predictions are even worse for the cities along the Gulf of America (formerly the Gulf of Mexico). Researchers from VIMS warn that cities in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana could all see the height of the ocean's surface rise by more than 18 inches. In Rockport, Texas, the report card projects that sea levels will rise by 2.49 feet by 2050. Over 500,000 US citizens across 32 major cities are expected to be displaced by the flooding, due to home property damages that could cost up to $109 billion by 2050. In 2024, scientists warned that nearly one foot of rising sea-levels is likely to compound the risk of 'destructive flooding' Between the destruction of local infrastructure due to flooding and the loss of tourism due to disappearing beaches in many coastal areas, the damage in these areas could cost sinking communities tens of billions of dollars. New Orleans, which has already been ravaged by flooding in recent decades, remains one of the most threatened areas along the Gulf. A 2024 study published in the Hydrogeology Journal discovered that a large portion of the city and the surrounding areas are now sinking by up to two inches per year. Areas like New Orleans sit on soft, squishy soils (peat and clay) that sink when drained or built on. Virginia Tech researchers found two dozen cities to be at higher risk of sinking over the next three decades. They identified over 24 locations that are battling a combination of sinking land and rising sea levels, putting one out of every 50 residents at risk of needing to relocate. 'Many people who live near the coast want to know what they can reasonably expect over the next few decades, giving them time to make actionable plans and decisions,' Mitchell said.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
A small California coastal town was named one of 26 ‘underrated' travel destinations in US
U.S. News & World Report has chosen 26 places across the United States as one of the best 'underrated travel destinations,' and only one spot in California made the list that boasts national parks and Midwestern towns. The honor goes to the small, San Luis Obispo town of Cambria, which ranked No. 21 on the list of 'beloved, lesser-known' destinations. Cambria was praised by U.S. News & World Report for its location, including for its proximity to sights such as Morro Bay and the Hearst Castle in San Simeon. The media company described Cambria's Main Street as 'perfectly quaint' and highlighted the town's Moonstone Beach and stunning scenery at the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. U.S. News & World Report said that Cambria, which is along the state's central coast, 'can get lost in the heaps of praise piled on California's coastline.' With a population of less than 6,000 as of the 2020 Census, Cambria is one of California's many pricier places to live. The median price a home is sold for in Cambria is $1.1 million, according to That's about $100,000 less than Redfin's figures on median home selling prices for April. Of course, visiting doesn't mean permanently staying. There's plenty of things to do during a trip to the coastal community, largely related to enjoying the natural landscape and the Pacific Ocean. St. Simons Island along Georgia's coast was the named the best underrated travel destination in the nation from U.S. News & World Report. Other places that made the list included Chattanooga, Tennessee, Big Bend National Park in Texas and Duluth, Minnesota — notably where Bob Dylan was born. A state as large as California means it can be easy to get overwhelmed when picking where you want to visit next. In case you missed it, here are some of the recommendations made by travel and lifestyle experts in the past year: Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks were named among the top national parks in the United States by travel guide publisher Lonely Planet. Carmel-by-the-Sea made HGTV's 50 of the Most Charming Small Towns in America list. Former Gold Rush town Nevada City was named one of the country's best small towns for 2025 by Country Living. USA TODAY 10Best selected nine hotels in California, including places in Monterey Bay and Mendicino, for several top 10 lists celebrating places with the best hotel bar or for their eco-friendliness. Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@ This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: See the California town that's called 'underrated' for travel
