By Bonny Shilton |
A Small
Tsunami in Lompoc?
You may have heard the term. A tsunami is a sea wave, possibly
enormous in size, created by an underwater earthquake. Its size depends on several factors,
including the distance of the quake from the shore and the depth of the
water. The possibility of a tsunami
crashing into Santa Barbara, with very little warning, was discussed recently
on a local television news program.
But, did you know that a small tsunami occurred off the coast of
Lompoc after the earthquake of 1927?
The Santa Barbara Earthquake History
website describes it this way:
“Several agents
of the (Southern Pacific) railroad reported seeing a small tsunami,
estimated at six feet near Pismo and five feet at Port San Luis, break along
the beach shortly after the earthquake. A light keeper near Port San Luis also
reported seeing a four-foot wave. In at least one location, the tsunami
was reported to have washed the beach clean of seaweed, driftwood, and
other debris, and to have left a stretch of fine, smooth white sand.”
The U.S. Geological Survey National
Earthquake Information Center rates the Lompoc Earthquake of 1927 as the
eleventh largest earthquake in the contiguous United States. Their website says
the tsunami that followed was recorded on tide gauges up and down the
coast.
Twenty-four tsunamis have damaged the
U.S. and its territories in the last 204 years. Can you prepare for a tsunami? Yes! Plan and practice an
evacuation route from your home and discuss it with your family. Use a NOAA Weather Radio to stay abreast of
weather watches and warnings. Create an
emergency supplies kit, and learn more by visiting the following helpful
websites:
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)
of North S. B. County
http://home.netcom.com/~memeyer/prep.html#EQ
American Red
Cross
http://www.redcross.org/disaster/safety/guide/tsunami.html
U.S. Geological Survey National
Earthquake Information Center
http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/eqlists/10maps_usa.html
Santa Barbara Earthquake History
http://quake.crustal.ucsb.edu/ics/sb_eqs
Southern California Earthquake Data
Center
http://www.scecdc.scec.org/lompoc.html