(Astoria, OR) — During Tsunami Awareness Week Clatsop County Emergency Management is encouraging residents and business owners to visit tsunami assembly locations in Clatsop County.

“The time to know assembly points and evacuation routes maps is now, not when a Tsunami is heading towards shore,” said Justin Gibbs, Clatsop County emergency management director.

“Recently, we took assembly point map locations and added crossroads so people can more quickly find this safe area,” Gibbs said.

Clatsop County residents and guests are at risk of being impacted by tsunamis, a series of waves usually caused by an undersea earthquake. 

As these waves enter shallow water near land, they increase in height and can cause great loss of life and property damage. 

The first wave is often not the largest. Additional waves may be spaced many minutes apart and can continue arriving for several hours.

Important tsunami safety tips are:

• Never go to the coast to watch a tsunami. Tsunamis move faster than a person can run.
• Go to an area 50 feet above sea level, if possible.
• If you are in a multi-story building and don't have time to travel to high ground, go to an upper level of the home or building.
• If you are on the beach and cannot get to high ground, go inland as far as you can.
• Go on foot if possible, particularly if an earthquake has caused damage to roads, power lines, and resulted in significant debris.
• Do NOT return to shore after the first wave – tsunamis usually occur as a series of many waves. Wait until the official tsunami warning or alert has been lifted.

For more tsunami information and to view evacuation maps and assembly crossroads, visit ClatsopCounty.gov.

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