Minute by minute, the 'devastation' California faces if a tsunami really does hit
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An 8-magnitude earthquake has hit off the coast of California, which displaces a massive amount of water that creates a tsunami. Within five minutes of the quake, the giant wave is rushing toward the state's coastline at speeds of up to 500 miles per hour that triggers a tsunami alert for an immediate evacuation.
![[Officials issued a tsunami warning for more than five million residents, sounding off sirens and suspending service on the Bay Area's commuter rail through its underwater Transbay tube]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/06/21/92886483-14166151-Officials_issued_a_tsunami_warning_for_more_than_five_million_re-a-98_1733520243266.jpg)
About 30 minutes later, the tsunami floods coastal cities and does not subside for at least one-hour after, leaving a path of devastation in its wake. While this was a simulated tsunami, residents along the California coast were minutes from experiencing it first hand Thursday.
![[The West Coast is so vulnerable to tsunamis because of its location on the Pacific Rim and its proximity to volatile fault lines, like the Cascadia and the San Andreas (STOCK)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/06/21/92886489-14166151-The_West_Coast_is_so_vulnerable_to_tsunamis_because_of_its_locat-a-99_1733520243617.jpg)
A magnitude 7.0 quake struck about 55 miles off the shore of Eureka, rattling the region from San Francisco to southern Oregon, sparking a tsunami warning for more than five million residents. Many got word to evacuate or move to higher ground, which Amy Palmer, Deputy Director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, said: 'They did the right thing in this situation... it could have been devastation.'.
![[Because these rare events are almost impossible to predict, it's important that residents have know the warning signs of a tsunami and have an emergency plan in place just in case one hits]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/06/21/92886479-14166151-Because_these_rare_events_are_almost_impossible_to_predict_it_s_-a-96_1733520243045.jpg)
The warning triggered widespread, panicked evacuations for about one hour before it was cancelled as experts confirmed that no tsunami had formed, despite the fact that the quake created the right conditions for one. The California Geological Survey has created maps of tsunami hazard zones along the state's coastline that residents can use to better understand their risk.
