Tsunami Resources by County





Tsunami Evacuation Maps and Brochures

NVS Tsunami Evacuation Zone website & app

Those who live on the Long Beach Peninsula can now more easily find their evacuation route thanks to the NVS Tsunami Evacuation Zone website and its related smart phone app.

Routing is available for the entire Long Beach peninsula including Cape Disappointment and Ilwaco, thanks to the completion of the state’s first pilot project in southwest Washington. This is a service that has been in Oregon for a while now. It is not yet available elsewhere on the coast.

Now, when you visit NVS Tsunami Evacuation Zone website on your web browser you can add place markers for your home, work, school or other frequently visited locations and get turn by turn directions to the nearest identified high ground following the road and trail network. Additionally, the website will provide a recommended evacuation time and evacuation pace in order to make it to high ground before the first tsunami waves are estimated to arrive (see image below). Use these custom maps to practice walking your evacuation routes so you know where to go when the time comes.

A screengrab of what the map looks like on the Tsunami Evacuation Zone website


While the NVS mobile app does not provide the routing feature at this time, it is still one of the best free tsunami alerting apps on the market. Download the app onto your Apple or Android device to enable tsunami alert push notifications and gain quick access to local evacuation maps.

Download the NVS Tsunami Evacuation App

Apple software button
The button shows the Google icon and says get it on Google Play


This project was made possible due to the collaborative efforts of the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS), and the Washington Department of Natural Resources - Washington Geological Survey (WADNR-WGS).

Limitations: Routing presently only works in the web platform of NVS and not the NVS app available in either Android or Apple stores. Routing is presently limited to the Long Beach peninsula, Ilwaco and Cape Disappointment. Routing for additional areas may be added at a later date. Routing is limited to established roads and trails. These may not represent the most direct path to high ground or may become blocked by post-earthquake hazards. Please exercise situational awareness when evacuating or practicing evacuation to ensure personal safety.

Tsunami Pedestrian Evacuation Walk Maps

Tsunami evacuation walk time maps show a more detailed view of the time it would take to evacuate on foot from the tsunami inundation zone. The maps also show how long it is estimated to take for the first tsunami wave to arrive. You should use these maps to learn your routes ahead of time for home, work, and school.

If your area doesn't have an official evacuation map available, contact your local emergency management for advice on the best routes to use. In an actual tsunami event, head inland to the highest ground you can find. More maps are being worked on and will be released in the future as they are completed.

Mobile friendly files: 

    Full Resolution Files (ZIP files may not be mobile friendly): 

    Tsunami Evacuation Brochures

    Tsunami evacuation brochures are single sheets providing general information about tsunami evacuation. They show tsunami inundation extent, evacuation routes, and points of interest. They also contain basic information about tsunami evacuation and preparedness, and local emergency management contacts. Some brochures are tabloid-size (11 x 17 in.). The "upside down" orientation of part of the second page is because they were designed to be folded in half and then in thirds. They can be printed on letter-size paper by telling your printer to shrink to fit or scale to 50 percent. All maps are PDFs.

    NOTE: These brochures have NOT been updated as new or updated modeling and mapping have been published, nor has the contact information included in them been updated. More accurate maps may have been released since the publishing of these brochures. When using, please be sure to compare the publish date of the brochure with the publish date of other inundation and evacuation maps for the same location. If you have questions about the potential differences, please contact WA DNR.

    • Clallam County
      • Clallam Bay and Vicinity (2012) in English
      • Neah Bay and Vicinity (2012) in English
      • Port Angeles and Vicinity (2012) in English
        Partially superseded by Port Angeles (2019) walk map
      • Sequim and Vicinity (2007) in English
    • Grays Harbor County
      • Amanda Park (Quinault Indian Nation) in English
      • Ocean Shores and Vicinity (2014) in English & Spanish
        • Partially superseded by Southern WA Coast (2018) inundation map
      • Westport, Grayland, and Ocosta (2014) in English & Spanish
        • Partially superseded by Westport (2019) walk map
    • Pacific County
    • Pierce County
    • Whatcom County
      • Birch Bay and Blaine (2014) in English
      • Lummi Reservation (2007) in English
      • Point Roberts (2007) in English

    Tsunami Inundation and Current Velocity Maps

    The Washington Department of Natural Resources in partnership with Washington Emergency Management Division, uses tsunami modeling to produce inundation and current velocity maps of the Washington coastline. These inundation models are based on the shape of the ocean floor, the topography of the land, and the expected size and shape of tsunami waves. These properties are derived from what we know about past earthquakes and tsunamis that are found in the geologic record of the Pacific Northwest. The result of the modeling is a series of maps that show the expected depth of water and the speed of the currents from an earthquake-generated tsunami.

    Seattle Fault Inundation Maps (Mobile friendly JPGs)

    These are all ZIP files and NOT mobile friendly. These are very large maps and work best on a desktop computer.

    Seattle Fault:

    Cascadia Fault:

    Tacoma Fault:


    Tsunami Hazard Fact Sheets

    Similar to the Tsunami Evacuation Brochures, these Tsunami Hazard Fact Sheets provide a basic overview of the tsunami hazard at the local level.

    NOTE: These fact sheets have NOT been updated as new or updated modeling and mapping have been published, nor has the contact information included in them been updated. More accurate maps may have been released since the publishing of these fact sheets. When using, please be sure to compare the publish date of the fact sheet with the publish date of inundation and evacuation maps for the same location.

    All documents are PDFs. 

    Grays Harbor County Fact Sheets:

    Pacific County Fact Sheets:

    Clallam County Fact Sheets:

    Jefferson County Fact Sheets:

    County All Hazards Guides

    These County All Hazards Guides include an overview of the designated county’s hazards, preparedness guidance and resources, local emergency management information, and other related topics.

    NOTE: These guides have NOT been updated as new or updated modeling and mapping have been published, nor has the contact information included in them been updated. More accurate information may have been released since the publishing of these guides.

    Washington State Geologic Information Portal

    Looking for local materials and want an interactive experience? Try the Geologic Information Portal at www.dnr.wa.gov/geologyportal

    geologic_hazards_portal.jpg

    The Washington Geologic Information Portal puts complex geologic and hazards information into the hands of everyone, including you. This application allows you to quickly compare and synthesize data of different types to help solve a variety of problems. You can learn more about the portal via this brochure (PDF) or check out the single-topic tsunami map.


    Connect With Us

    Twitter: @waEMD

    Facebook: WashEMD

    Nextdoor

    Email: public.education@mil.wa.gov