Program Name Oregon Tsunami Evacuation Map
Program
Administering Agencies Oregon Department of Geology & Mineral
Industries (DOGAMI) and Oregon Emergency Management (OEM)
Contact Mark Darienzo, OEM Earthquake and Tsunami Program
Coordinator
Address P.O. Box 14370, Salem, OR 97309-5062
Telephone Number 503-378-2911 x 22237
Fax Number 503-588-1378
E-mail mdarien@oem.state.or.us
Tsunamis are rare but can be quite destructive. The worst-case scenario
for Oregon is a tsunami generated off our coast from a Cascadia Subduction
Zone earthquake. People have between 15-30 minutes to evacuate to safe
ground once the earthquake shaking stops. It is critical that residents
and tourists know where the safe areas are, the best routes to take to
reach the safe zones, and where they can assemble for assistance. Thus the
need for tsunami evacuation maps that show safe zones, evacuation routes
and assembly areas in a manner that is easy for residents and tourists to
understand. These maps will therefore save lives. Seventeen tsunami
evacuation maps have been developed so far that cover twenty-eight
incorporated and unincorporated communities on the Oregon coast. The maps
are a coordinated effort among state and local government agencies. All
the maps are computer generated with a consistent format. The maps also
include background text on the hazard and what people can do to protect
themselves. They are based on simple inundation maps produced for the
entire Oregon coast or detailed inundation maps produced for a few
communities. All communities on the Oregon coast will eventually have an
evacuation map. The decision to develop consistent computer-generated maps
for all communities began in April 2000. However, the idea for
computer-generated maps began with a National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation
Program subgrant to the Umpqua Region Council of Governments in 1999 to
develop a computer-generated tsunami evacuation map for Douglas County
coastal communities.
