History says Tsunami will hit Oregon

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Story Published: Sep 29, 2009 at 2:53 PM PDT

By Erica Rush KCBY News

WINCHESTER BAY, Ore. - Living on the coast, you should always be ready for the possibility of a tsunami in the back of your mind, but is that enough?

Today, Seismologists say that idea needs to be brought to the forefront and spread among you.

Representatives of the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) have been spreading their recent knowledge, on the likelihood of a great Subduction Zone Earthquake, here on the Oregon Coast.

And according to their research, there's a one in seven chance a tsunami will hit here in the next fifty-years and there's no time like the present to start getting prepared.

James Roddey with DOGAMI says, "It kind of falls on us to begin telling people about this because the potential for one of these great earthquakes within our lifetimes or our children's lifetimes is almost a certainty."

Most of this information has only become available within the last 25 years but according to the Oregon Historic Quarterly, Native Americans have been recording these events for the last 100-1,000 years.

"Native Americans had an oral tradition," said Roddey. "They had a culture of awareness, they passed on knowledge from generation to generation."

Roddey added that it is important to spread the message along. That is his office is holding town hall meetings around the state, including Winchester Bay.

If you'd like to get more information on possible earthquakes or tsunamis in the state and how you can prepare, you can log onto www.oregongeology.org.

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