Tsunami evacuation maps from your smartphone
A redesigned, free smartphone app showing Pacific Northwest tsunami evacuation zones is available from the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS) in partnership with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI).
The NANOOS Visualization System (NVS) Tsunami Evacuation smartphone app provides an at-a-glance view of tsunami hazard zones along the coasts of Oregon and Washington. Users can locate their current location on the map to see if they are in a tsunami evacuation zone, plan their own evacuation routes, download published evacuation brochures for the region and, now, print and save customized evacuation brochures centered on an area of interest.
“This app is great for homeowners on the coast as well as visitors who are planning trips,” says Jon Allan, DOGAMI coastal scientist and one of the app developers. “Knowing where you are in the tsunami zone means you will be better prepared should a tsunami occur. You can bookmark places and save or print a unique evacuation map centered on your home, work place, hotel or even camp site. Users can then determine their nearest point of high ground outside the evacuation zone and develop a plan for how to get there.”
The free NVS Tsunami Evacuation app is available from the iTunes App Store and Google Play:
• iPhone:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nvs-tsunami-evacuation/id478984841?ls=1&mt=8
• Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tsunami_evac.nvs.nanoos.org.nvs_tsunami_android
Customized tsunami evacuation brochures can also be printed from the NANOOS interactive online portal (http://nvs.nanoos.org/TsunamiEvac). Learn more about tsunami preparedness at http://www.oregontsunami.org
The coasts of Oregon, Washington, and Northern California are exposed to tsunamis from distant earthquakes (such as the March 11, 2011, T?hoku, Japan tsunami) and local earthquake events. The greatest risk to Northwest coastal communities is from very large, locally generated tsunamis produced by an earthquake (magnitude 8-9+) occurring offshore the coast of Oregon and Washington on the Cascadia subduction zone. DOGAMI and the Washington Geological Survey have mapped the zones that would be inundated by a tsunami. The collaborative effort between NANOOS and DOGAMI will serve as an important tool to assist the public with preparing for a potentially catastrophic tsunami event along the Pacific Northwest coast.
The smartphone app was funded by NANOOS through a grant from the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), while the custom brochure tool was developed with funding from DOGAMI via the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program of NOAA – National Weather Service.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Lori Calarruda
Office: 971-673-1537
dogami-info@oregon.gov
Dr. Jan Newton – NANOOS Executive Director
Office: 206-543-9152
janewton@uw.edu
