Seismic Sea-Wave Warning in Crescent City, California and Hilo, Hawaii
Files
Date
1966-11
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Disaster Research Center
Abstract
Description
Following the March 27, 1964 Alaska earthquake, a series of seismic sea-waves spread across the Pacific Ocean. This resulted in massive destruction, loss of life and injury in Crescent City, California. In Hilo, Hawaii, on the other hand, little property damage occurred, and there were no deaths or injuries. There is one obvious explanation for the difference in outcome in the two communities considerable wave action occurred in Crescent City following the earthquake, while in Hilo there was only mild wave activity and only a slight change in the ocean level. However, the evidence indicates that even if Hilo had been subjected to the violent wave action which hit Crescent City there still would have been little or no injury and loss of life due, to a large extent, to the implementation of warning techniques and procedures which had been conceived before hand. How do two coastal communities within the same nation differ so remarkably in their response to threats of seismic sea waves?
Keywords
Sea-Wave warning, Crescent City, California, Hilo, Hawaii