Feature Articles
Apr 2005
Could it Happen Here?
Authors: Jose Borrero, Ph.D., Sungbin Cho, James E. Moore, II, Ph.D., Harry W. Richardson, and Costas Synolakis, Ph.D.Author Affiliations
Publication: Civil Engineering Magazine Archive
Volume 75, Issue 4
Abstract
The catastrophic tsunami that struck southern Asia on December 26, 2004, underscored the extraordinary social and economic havoc that such an event can wreak. Could it happen here in the United States—in particular, off the coast of Southern California? The disturbing answer is that, yes, it could. Although the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service has 13 continuously operating tide stations in the state of California that are capable of producing real-time data for tsunami warnings, there is no way to prevent a strike. Recent developments in the modeling of tsunami waves and the analysis of their economic consequences, combined with data from recent offshore mappings of the Santa Barbara Channel and other locations, suggest the mechanism and economic effect of an undersea landslide in the vicinity of Los Angeles that would spawn a tsunami.
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© 2005 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Published in print: Apr 2005
Published online: Jan 1, 2016
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Jose Borrero, Ph.D.
Sungbin Cho
James E. Moore, II, Ph.D.
Harry W. Richardson
Costas Synolakis, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department University of Southern California.
Research Associate, Doctoral Candidate and Senior Transportation University of Southern California and Imagecat, Inc.
Chair and Professor University of Southern California.
Professor in the Economics Department University of Southern California.
Professor University of Southern California.
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Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.