I'm Earthquake Ready, Are There Things I Should Be Doing To Get Tsunami Ready?
KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.
Q: Roberta, what is all this "noise" about a tsunami advisory along the West Coast? - Marco Williams, Los Altos
A: There is a Tsunami Advisory in effect for southern California, Hawaii and American Samoa. The Advisory does NOT include our Bay Area!
At 3:54 pm our time yesterday, a powerful 8.3 earthquake centered 150 North of the capitol city of Santiago, followed minutes later with a 6.1, 6.2 and 7.1 aftershocks. It was not nearly as destructive as the earthquake striking Chile in 2010, a magnitude 8.8 quake, killing more than 500 people and costing the nation millions.
A tsunami advisory was issued within minutes for southern California, Hawaii and American Samoa. In Chile, coastal towns reported tsunami waves as high as 15 feet. The effects of a tsunami are expected to be relatively minimal. Waves headed to California are expected to be less than a foot, but needless to say, beaches in Orange County closed, but no evacuations have been issued.
Who is vulnerable and how do you prepare for a tsunami? The National Weather Service has created a program called "TsunamiReady." If you wish to explore tsunami facts, awareness and safety tips, please visit: www.tsunamiready.noaa.gov/
I would love to hear from you! Please send weather questions, observations and photos to me,Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com and I look forward to hearing from you!
