DNR simulations show what tsunami could look like in Bellingham after Cascadia quake
The Washington state Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday, Aug. 27, released simulated models of what a large tsunami caused by a Cascadia earthquake would look like and how waves could impact local communities, including Bellingham.
“We know tsunamis will hit our state. It’s a question of when, not if, which means we need to prepare now. Our hope is that these stark videos drive home the need for communities to take action to become more secure and resilient,” Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said in a release announcing the videos.
According to the release, DNR scientists developed the simulation videos to show what tsunamis triggered by a 9.0 earthquake on the Cascadia Subduction Zone might look like — showing the estimated height and speed of waves when they reach communities minutes after the quake.
While the first waves could reach Washington’s coastal communities approximately 15 minutes after a quake strikes, according to the release, the video show waves likely wouldn’t reach the west side of Lummi Island until nearly two hours after the shaking. The Port of Bellingham would see maximum-height waves approximately 25 minutes later.
According to the video, Bellingham could see wave heights of 10 feet or more — one of the few locations beyond the Straight of Juan de Fuca that would see waves that tall.
The videos further expand on maps DNR released in September 2018, showing what sort of waves Bellingham could expect from a Cascadia-earthquake tsunami and how soon they would arrive.
In April, DNR released suggested tsunami evacuation routes for areas in Bellingham.
It has been 319 years since the Cascadia Subduction Zone last saw a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, Tuesday’s release said. That quake in 1700 produced a tsunami that left sand deposits and drowned forests that can still be seen in the Copalis Ghost Forest in Grays Harbor County.
DNR said that geologic records show that the zone produces mega-thrust quakes every 300 to 600 years and that there have been approximately 40 earthquakes along the subduction zone in the past 10,000 years.
This story was originally published August 27, 2019 at 1:04 PM.
