How Can I Prepare?
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Have a plan! Fill out a Family Disaster Plan and
Personal Survival Guide NOW, available at
readysandiego.org/family.
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Register you phone number with AlertSanDiego
(Reverse 9-1-1) to receive emergency notifications.
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Assemble a portable 3-day disaster supply kit.
Tsunami Safety Rules
Move away from low-lying coastal
areas when you feel a strong earthquake or if a Tsunami Warning is
issued.
 Review the map to see if you live, work or visit
Include:
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Food (packaged, canned, no-cook)
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Medications and copies of prescriptions
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Pet carrier, leash, food, water, medications
& vaccination records
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Copies of important documents
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First aid kit
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Portable radio (battery/magneto powered)
Non-electric can opener
Water—1 gallon per person per day
(drinking, cooking, hygiene)
A change of clothes and comfortable shoes
Personal hygiene items
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Special items such as diapers, formula or
special food requirements
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Keep the items that you would most likely need for
evacuation in a backpack, duffle bag or wheeled
cooler in an easily accessible location.
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Take a first aid class and learn survival skills.
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Join the City of Oceanside Community Emergency
Response Team (CERT).
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Learn more about hazards and threats in your area
and how you can prepare.
Tsunami Evacuation Sites
South Oceanside Elementary
1806 So. Horne Street (corner of Horne
Street and Cassidy street)
Oceanside High School
1 Pirates Cove Way (Corner of Mission Avenue and Horne Street)
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the Tsunami Zone.
If you feel an earthquake protect yourself,
get under or next to a very sturdy object, until
the earthquake is over.
If you are on or near the beach and feel a
strong earthquake lasting 60 seconds or more,
immediately move inland to higher ground—go
on foot if at all possible. Do not wait for a Tsunami Warning to be issued.
CAUTION—If there is a noticeable rapid recession in water away from the shoreline this is
nature’s tsunami warning and it should be heeded. You should move inland or to high ground
immediately.
If you are unable to move inland, find refuge
above the third floor in a high-rise, multi-story,
reinforced-concrete building.
Do not call 9-1-1 for information. Listen to
radio station KOGO/AM 600 for emergency information or watch KOCT TV.
Do not return to shore. Wait for an “All Clear”
from local officials before returning to low-lying
areas.
A tsunami may be coming in a few
minutes or hours. More waves may
be coming for several hours after the
first.
TSUNAMI
EMERGENCY
INFORMATION
For further information, contact:
West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/
NOAA Tsunami Website
Http://tsunami.noaa.gov/
Federal Emergency Management Services (FEMA)
http://www.ready.gov/
City of Oceanside
Oceanside Fire Department
300 North Coast Highway
(760) 435-4100
www.ci.oceanside.ca.us
For Reverse 9-1-1 cell phone
Notification, self-register at
http://www.alertsandiego.com
City of Oceanside
Oceanside Fire Department
What Is A Tsunami?
A tsunami (seismic sea wave) is a series of waves
most commonly caused by an earthquake beneath the
sea floor or by a large undersea landslide. In the open
ocean, tsunami waves travel at speeds of up to 600
miles per hour but are too small to be observed at the
water’s surface. As the waves enter shallow water near
coastlines, they slow down and may rise to tens of
feet. Tsunamis can cause loss of life and property
damage where they come ashore. The first wave is
almost never the largest; successive waves may be
spaced tens of minutes apart and may continue to
arrive for many hours.
Researchers have determined that tsunami risk is high
along the north coast of California and moderate south
of Palos Verdes to San Diego. Two general types of
tsunamis could affect the coastal areas of California:
Local source tsunami:
If a large earthquake
occurs at or near the California coast, the first waves
may reach coastal communities within minutes after the
ground stops shaking. There may be little or no time for
authorities to issue a warning. Individual survival requires a trained public that understands the need to immediately move inland or to higher ground.
Distant source tsunami:
Very large earthquakes in other areas of the Pacific Rim may also
cause tsunamis which could impact California’s coast.
The first waves could reach Oceanside’s coastline
many hours after the earthquake occurred. Tsunami
Warning Centers are responsible for alerting local officials, who may order evacuations.
Local Tsunami Risk
Although the threat of a large tsunami impacting the
City of Oceanside is small, should it occur, the consequences could be great. Tsunami Evacuation Planning
(inundation/flooding) Maps based on modeling of potential earthquake sources and hypothetical extreme
undersea, near-shore landslide sources estimate that a
maximum run-up of 42 feet (12.8 meters) can be expected.
In order to provide education and information to the
public, Tsunami Hazard Zones have been established.
Most access routes to areas west of the Union-Pacific
railroad tracks
and
low-lying
drainage areas
(Oceanside Harbor, Loma Alta Creek and Buena Vista
Lagoon) are included.
How Do We Know
To Evacuate?
The West Coast/Alaska Pacific Tsunami
Warning Center is responsible for issuing a warning and alerting local officials, who may order an
evacuation. The public will be notified via Police, Fire
or Lifeguard public announcements, the Emergency
Alert System, NOAA Weather Radios, or automated
reverse-911 call system. The public should listen to
and obey any evacuation orders given by local officials and check KOCT TV & AM 600 for breaking news.
Tsunami Warning: The highest level of tsunami
alert, indicates that a tsunami is imminent and that
coastal locations in the designated inundation areas
should be alerted and evacuated immediately.
Tsunami Watch: The second highest level of tsunami alert, usually issued to areas outside the warned
area.
Tsunami Advisory: The third highest level of
tsunami alert, the advisories are issued to coastal
populations within areas not currently in either warning or watch status when a tsunami warning has been
issued for another region of the same ocean.
Tsunami Evacuation
Should you notice a sudden drop or rise in sea level, or
receive an official Tsunami Warning Notice—move inland or to higher ground immediately.
If you are located within the hazard zone and are
alerted to a tsunami warning, follow the Tsunami Evacuation Route signs to pre-designated evacuation points
at South Oceanside Elementary OR Oceanside High
School.