The 9.0 Richter scale earthquake and resulting mega tsunami that struck the northeastern coast of Japan near Sendai and Fukushima on March 11, 2011 was one of the most documented natural event disasters in history. Thanks to modern technology devices like video cameras and cell phone cameras terrifying live pictures and video clips were within minutes of the tsunami slamming into the Japanese coastline being uploaded to the Internet and shown on TV channels. To date over 13,000 people are known to have died in the earthquake and tsunami with another 16,000+ people still missing.
In December 2004 a Richter scale 8.5 earthquake occurred just off the eastern coast of Indonesia. The earthquake caused a mega tsunami that caused approximately 230,000 deaths in 14 countries. Again the video documentation of the event was widely posted to the Internet and broadcast by TV channels. Horrifying videos of people and debris being swept along by raging waters are hard to forget.
Could a Mega Tsunami Strike the US Eastern Seaboard?
The scale of the death and destruction caused by the two tsunamis described above caused people everywhere who live near coastlines to wonder if a mega tsunami could crash ashore near them. Fortunately, mega tsunamis are relatively rare. Unfortunately, however, if you are ever confronted with one that is up close and personal the event is so catastrophic that you would be dealing with a life-threatening, perhaps life ending, event.
One of the most potentially devastating natural disasters known to exist involves a mega tsunami that could be generated by a volcano erupting in the Canary Islands. The eruption would likely cause an earthquake several thousand miles across the Atlantic Ocean from the East Coast of the United States. The earthquake could cause a massive landslide with a ten mile section of La Palma, one of the Canary Islands in the Eastern Atlantic, collapsing into the Atlantic ocean. Scientists believe that the tsunami caused by the sudden addition of huge amounts of rock and earth to the ocean would generate a mega tsunami that would have a wall of water 300 feet high.
That 300 foot high wall of water would immediately head Westward at a speed of about 500 mph. Within nine to ten hours the mega tsunami would strike the Eastern seaboard of the United States with brutal force. So yes, unfortunately it is possible that a mega tsunami could devastate the Eastern seaboard of the United States.
What Would a 300 Foot High Tsunami Do To The East Coast of the US?
It is difficult to imagine the devastation that a 300 foot high wall of water would cause to major cities along the eastern coast. That wall of water would be about six times the height of the mega tsunami that struck Sendai and Fukushima, Japan. A tsunami of that magnitude would completely destroy everything in its path and push up to 20 miles inland. The cities of New York, Washington DC, Boston, Atlantic City, Virginia Beach, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Miami would be completely destroyed.
Those who witnessed the terrible damage caused by the 2004 Indonesia tsunami and the 2011 Japanese tsunami are still probably not fully capable of understanding the destruction that such a 300 foot high tsunami would bring. While we all hope that such a tragic event will not occur in our lifetime, or even in the next 1000 years, we realize that it is possible for it to occur tomorrow.
Fortunately the Probability of a Mega Tsunami Striking the Eastern Seaboard is Low
While the probability of such an event occurring over the near term is very low should a mega tsunami occur the results would be fully catastrophic. For the many millions of people living within 20 miles or so of the Eastern seaboard it is probably a good idea to plan in advance a route for fast evacuation and to keep a survival bag or two packed and ready to go. Just in case. The survival bag should contain plenty of food and water, as well as water purification tablets. The catastrophic effects that such an enormous mega tsunami would bring should not be underestimated.
Just think of the difficulties that the people of New Orleans encountered when they faced the wrath of hurricane Katrina. Those who attempted to evacuate the city in advance of the hurricane experienced tremendous challenges with clogged roadways and gasoline shortages making progress slow and painful. In many parts of the city those who stayed in their homes were swamped with flood waters. Now imagine tens of millions of people trying to evacuate the Eastern seaboard knowing that a 300 foot high wave of seawater was rushing towards them at 500 mph.
The resulting mental image is not a pretty picture, is it? And it is unlikely that any person's imagination is vivid enough to fully visualize the panic, chaos, and devastation that a 300 foot high mega tsunami would bring. Let's sincerely hope that the volcano on La Palma, Canary Islands, remains dormant for a very, very, long time.
Sources:
Washington Post: " Could a tsunami strike the U.S. East Coast? "
You Tube: " Fearing the future - Mega Tsunami - BBC "
Gerald Greene - Technology may save the world but it is a hard task master. It takes increasing amounts of work to keep up with the latest and greatest.
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