The Eastern Coast of North America may be next

[justinsb]

Just a reminder when contemplating how much to give in aid. At some point the East Coast of North America will be in the same position as the people of South East asia are now.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2000/mega_tsunami_transcript.shtml
http://www.rense.com/general13/tidal.htm

[Kabelplink]

1. More likely the west coast

More likely to get an earthquake or volcanic eruption over there. IIRC the west coast is along the ring of fire.

[JHB]

2. Or the West Coast...

same thing can happen, just a different source.

[illflem]

3. I think the Indian Ocean event

will be the wake up call to install a warning system in the Atlantic.
The Pacific already is set up fairly well. Don't know about Calif but OR and WA have tsunami warning sirens along most of the coast.

[autorank]

4. Holy Shit! Welcome to DU!

I'm sure our Holeland Security department would help by issuing water wings to everybody in a danger zone. Or maybe those floating lounge chairs would do...just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Great post.

[justinsb]

6. Thanks!

I've been here for awhile (not terribly often) and I read way more than I write, but thanks for the welcome.

[Bridget Burke]

5. Since nobody has clicked on your links yet.....

Yes, the large chunk of one of the Canary Islands will cause quite a wave when it finally falls into the sea. This was discussed on a Sunday night TV show about various Apocalypse theories. It featured bits from Revelations & interviews with theologians (plus that scumbag Tim LaHaye). But it also covered the "real" impending disasters, of which this was one.

Then I turned it off & watched the news.....

[damntexdem]

7. Hey, how about the west coast?

It's on the Ring of Fire.

[mcscajun]

8. I wouldn't say we might be 'next'

With the "Ring of Fire" taken into consideration, I'd say it's a safe bet that there will be a few more tsunamis in the Pacific before anything hits in the Atlantic. I've read some of this stuff in the last year or so; in The Guardian, on the BBC website, over at Discovery.com; I've watched a few of the TLC and National Geographic Channel programs, too. These reports are nothing new; scientists have been talking about this for the past 6 years (and more, probably - I've only been paying attention in the last two years.)

Some things I recall from my reading and watching:

There is no indication it could happen soon. If the mega-tsunami was triggered in the Canary Islands, the waves would take about 8 hours to reach the coast of America. It would devastate the entire Eastern Seaboard, from Miami to Boston. The wall of water hitting the southern coast would be more than 150 feet high, and travel between six to twenty miles inland, depending on terrain. (I swear, that's not why I live 35 miles inland, really!)

On the other hand, other scientists indicate that partial slides have already occurred in the area in the past few years, reducing the risk of a single catastrophic collapse. Their research indicates that the predictions of a 'mega-tsunami' are greatly exaggerated. The Canary Islands are volcanic islands that collapse at regular intervals -- regular intervals in geological time.

Bottom line: Yes, anything could happen, (the supervolcano in Yellowstone could blow tomorrow, too...or 20,000 years from now, or 100,000) but a mega-tsunami seems like a really long-odds, worst-case scenario that is not going to keep me up nights.

I still gave as much as I could to the Tsunami relief today. And in a few days, I'm going to figure out where I can find a few more donations.

On edit: correcting typos

[theboss]

9. I'm not sure the point of geologic predictions

Eventually, there will likely be another ice age. A large asteroid may hit again. Niagra Falls will one day reach Buffalo. I'm not really sure if there is any point in preparing for events that could be 10,000 years down the line.

[HockeyMom]

10. Certainly Wacky Weather

Had 4 inches of snow and 9 degrees few days ago, and now it is in the 50s.