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https://twitter.com/SF_emergency/status/955764708442714113 https://twitter.com/SF_emergency/status/955764708442714113 San Francisco Department of Emergency Man

https://twitter.com/SF_emergency/status/955764708442714113 https://twitter.com/SF_emergency/status/955764708442714113 San Francisco Department of Emergency Management has tweeted that people within three blocks of the coast or five blocks of the San Francisco Bay should be prepared to evacuate. Tsunami Watch for #SF. If you are w/in SF & 3 blocks of the Pacific Coast or w/in 5 blocks of SF Bay, PREPARE TO EVACUATE SO YOU ARE READY IF EVACUATION IS NEEDED. Check on neighbors who may need help. Visit http://sf72.org/hazard/tsunamis http://sf72.org/hazard/tsunamis to see if you are in the evacuation zone.

raldi 9y ago
We like to laugh about the Tuesday siren tests, but times like this are why we do them. If a tsunami really does hit WA and OR expect the waterfront sirens to make a pre-dawn announcement.
- studio_monolith 9y ago
  Except that was not a test
nanch 9y ago
Tsunami watch has been cancelled for Washington, Oregon, and California. https://twitter.com/NWSEureka/status/955777068377296896 https://twitter.com/NWSEureka/status/955777068377296896
throwawaybbqed 9y ago
I'm a recent newcomer to the Bay area. What is the Tsunami situation for places like Mountain View? Places like the GooglePlex are pretty close to the Bay. Is there even any real high ground in the area?? If something happens for real, do sirens sound?
- Cerium 9y ago
  Most bay area residents do not fear tsunami. The risk is low since local faults slip side to side which do not cause tsunami. A subduction fault can cause a tsunami, such as in Alaska, Japan or Chile. We would get hours of warning in such a case.
- andars 9y ago
  Excluding the coast and the east bay, it is not really a concern. A tsunami would have to come through the golden gate channel and make a quick turn to get to Mountain View with any strength. The inundation map for Mountain view is here: http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/Inundation_Maps/SantaClara/Documents/Tsunami_Inundation_MountainView_Quad_SantaClara.pdf http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/... And here is one for the entire bay area: http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/Inundation_Maps/Documents/Tsunami_Inundation_SanFranciscoBayArea300.pdf http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/... The remainder of the inundation maps can be found here: http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/Inundation_Maps/Pages/index.aspx http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/.... Here is an animated simulation of a tsunami hitting the bay area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP_AIWgknfI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP_AIWgknfI
koheripbal 9y ago
Is Twitter really the official way to notify people of danger? Or is there also a cell phone warning system?
- ghaff 9y ago
  How would they know cell phone numbers? Where I live they call landlines for emergency alerts but there's no other way to specifically target residents.
  - devscreen 9y ago
    How do amber alerts work? When I lived in SF I got SF-related alerts. I don't know enough about how they work - but it sounds like tech that could be re-used for major emergency alerts.
    - ghaff 9y ago
      As I should have realized, they're sent to all wireless phones in the area. On an iPhone at least both Amber and Emergency alerts are on by default but you can turn either of them off.
  - scentoni 9y ago
    The state can broadcast emergency messages, it doesn't need to send them individually to some database of cell phone numbers. Alert About Missile Bound for Hawaii Was Sent in Error, Officials Say https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16140761 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16140761
  - silencio 9y ago
    If it was a big deal, beyond the opt-in SF text alerts, there's a thing called Wireless Emergency Alerts. It's geographically targeted. It's basically like Amber Alerts going to your phone except for imminent emergencies. There has been some controversy about the timing and use of WEAs for evacuations for the big wildfires in California recently, but I imagine it's hard to balance alarm fatigue with the need to warn people.
- 9y ago

raldi 9y ago

We like to laugh about the Tuesday siren tests, but times like this are why we do them. If a tsunami really does hit WA and OR expect the waterfront sirens to make a pre-dawn announcement.

studio_monolith 9y ago
Except that was not a test

nanch 9y ago

Tsunami watch has been cancelled for Washington, Oregon, and California. https://twitter.com/NWSEureka/status/955777068377296896 https://twitter.com/NWSEureka/status/955777068377296896

throwawaybbqed 9y ago

I'm a recent newcomer to the Bay area. What is the Tsunami situation for places like Mountain View? Places like the GooglePlex are pretty close to the Bay. Is there even any real high ground in the area?? If something happens for real, do sirens sound?

Cerium 9y ago
Most bay area residents do not fear tsunami. The risk is low since local faults slip side to side which do not cause tsunami. A subduction fault can cause a tsunami, such as in Alaska, Japan or Chile. We would get hours of warning in such a case.
andars 9y ago
Excluding the coast and the east bay, it is not really a concern. A tsunami would have to come through the golden gate channel and make a quick turn to get to Mountain View with any strength. The inundation map for Mountain view is here: http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/Inundation_Maps/SantaClara/Documents/Tsunami_Inundation_MountainView_Quad_SantaClara.pdf http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/... And here is one for the entire bay area: http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/Inundation_Maps/Documents/Tsunami_Inundation_SanFranciscoBayArea300.pdf http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/... The remainder of the inundation maps can be found here: http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/Inundation_Maps/Pages/index.aspx http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/.... Here is an animated simulation of a tsunami hitting the bay area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP_AIWgknfI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP_AIWgknfI

koheripbal 9y ago

Is Twitter really the official way to notify people of danger? Or is there also a cell phone warning system?

ghaff 9y ago
How would they know cell phone numbers? Where I live they call landlines for emergency alerts but there's no other way to specifically target residents.
- devscreen 9y ago
  How do amber alerts work? When I lived in SF I got SF-related alerts. I don't know enough about how they work - but it sounds like tech that could be re-used for major emergency alerts.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    As I should have realized, they're sent to all wireless phones in the area. On an iPhone at least both Amber and Emergency alerts are on by default but you can turn either of them off.
- scentoni 9y ago
  The state can broadcast emergency messages, it doesn't need to send them individually to some database of cell phone numbers. Alert About Missile Bound for Hawaii Was Sent in Error, Officials Say https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16140761 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16140761
- silencio 9y ago
  If it was a big deal, beyond the opt-in SF text alerts, there's a thing called Wireless Emergency Alerts. It's geographically targeted. It's basically like Amber Alerts going to your phone except for imminent emergencies. There has been some controversy about the timing and use of WEAs for evacuations for the big wildfires in California recently, but I imagine it's hard to balance alarm fatigue with the need to warn people.
9y ago