New tsunami hazard maps highlight threat facing seven California counties — even Napa County
The U.S. government is preparing to issue seven maps that identify tsunami hazard zones that could be hit by the magnitude 9.0 quake that could hit in an area of California as a result of a 9.2-magnitude earthquake in Japan.
In the latest map released late Wednesday night by the U.S. Geological Survey, the danger zone of the coastline stretching from Southern California northward and encompassing an area of up to 16,200 square miles (43,900 square kilometers) now stretches from the Salton Sea to the Bay Area and from the San Francisco Mountains to the Sierra Nevada and the Mexican border.
In addition to the earthquake danger zones, the maps also list coastal risk zones in the state’s north Bay Area and its East Bay, and show offshore hazards off the California coast.
Also in the latest maps is a tsunami hazard map for the North Bay and the San Francisco Bay Area, which show a 25-mile (40-km) stretch of water that, when hit by a tsunami from an earthquake at 9.2 magnitude, could produce widespread coastal flooding. The northern Bay Area and the East Bay are expected to be hit by a tsunami as a result of a 9.2-magnitude earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and the tsunami hazard zone for the San Francisco area, which stretches from San Francisco to Tiburon, was updated to include the Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Barbara County.
“The latest hazard maps are a very important tool in our efforts to prepare and protect coastal communities,” California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom said in a prepared statement. “I call on the federal government, state and local governments, and the public to take all appropriate steps to protect not only the people of California but the world’s oceans — especially those in the Pacific Ocean.”
Shelby and Hinkley
Newsom was joined at a press conference in Santa Barbara County Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown and U.S