1 Million Californians at Tsunami Risk, Study Says

Tsunami waves generated by a large offshore earthquake would threaten at least 1 million coastal residents in California and inundate the nation’s largest port complex, according to a new report.

The California Seismic Safety Commission study, scheduled for release today, found gaps in the state’s readiness to handle a tsunami, including flaws in the existing warning system, lack of evacuation plans by coastal communities and building codes that don’t take into account tsunami-strength surges.

The report found that many Californians are not adequately trained about the risks of a tsunami and recommended creating multi-language fliers and brochures detailing the hazards.

About a million people live in low-lying coastal areas vulnerable to flooding by a tsunami. Existing building codes call for structures to be built to withstand severe shaking from an earthquake, but the report revealed that homes and businesses are rarely designed to hold up against tsunami-force surges.

The report also found that most coastal communities lacked evacuation plans for residents because of funding problems. Crescent City in Northern California and UC Santa Barbara are among the few places with escape routes established.

Along with threatening lives and property, a giant tsunami would strike an economic blow to the state, given the vulnerability of its ports, the report said. As much as $60 billion in economic loss is estimated if a tsunami caused a two-month shutdown at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

In the last century, more than 80 tsunamis -- mostly minor -- have been recorded or observed along the California coastline, which faces tsunami threats from local and distant sources in the Pacific basin.

The most deadly tsunami to strike California was in 1964 when 12 people died from massive waves generated by a magnitude 9.2 earthquake in Alaska.