Fire chief urges residents to ‘stay in the green’ after tsunami-ready recognition

Pete, the city’s fire chief, gave a detailed tsunami-preparedness briefing to the council, explaining the NOAA ‘‘tsunami-ready’’ recognition the city obtained and describing differences between distant and local tsunamis and practical steps residents should take.

Chief Pete said the city completed the NOAA application process and met requirements such as signage, assembly areas, public education and evacuation-route mapping. He said the application helped identify additional opportunities for improvement despite the recognition.

Chief Pete stressed a core message: know whether you are already in a mapped safe (green) zone. If you are in a green zone, he said, “stay in the green” rather than moving to another location and potentially creating traffic that could trap people in inundation areas. He described distant tsunamis (which can allow hours to prepare) versus local tsunamis triggered by a nearby Cascadia subduction event, where the chief said earthquake shaking lasting five minutes is a practical warning that residents should evacuate immediately from inundation zones.

The chief described local planning materials available to residents: printed maps available at the fire station and an app-based map that can be zoomed for detail. He said the department has distributed fact sheets to schools and that the fire station keeps thousands of printed maps and a checklist of items for a go kit (prescription drugs, pet food and other essentials).

He discussed factors that change inundation risk, including tidal stage at the time of an event. He addressed concerns about bridges and local infrastructure in a major Cascadia event, telling the council that if a large Cascadia event occurs, “all bridges will fail” because prolonged strong shaking would likely damage bridge structures.

Chief Pete also described regional geology in straightforward terms and noted the historical record: scientists estimate the last full-margin Cascadia event occurred in 1700; the range of likely magnitudes for such an event is discussed at about 8.7–9.2. He cited probabilistic guidance he had seen: a 10%–15% chance in the next 50 years of a magnitude 9+ event on the Cascadia fault, and a 30%–37% chance of an event at or above about magnitude 8.2. He emphasized that prediction is uncertain and preparedness is the appropriate response.

Council members asked practical questions about evacuation behavior, maps, flood elevations tied to potential dam failure and where to obtain printed materials; Chief Pete said the fire station and an app provide maps and that the department would return with short follow-up briefings on council roles during an incident. He offered to present follow-up education on emergency response and on the council’s responsibilities in such events.