Surf’s Up in Cali!

by Iva Skoch on

Californians, Oregonians, and Washingtonians had a brief tsunami scare this morning, if anyone was awake and noticed. Yes, the National Weather Service actually posted a tsunami advisory at 6:05 AM PST, before canceling it.

This was because of tsunami activity at multiple sites in Japan and even Shemya, Alaska. Now, granted, the wave height noticed was only 20cm (.65 ft.) above mean sea level in Alaska, but that, apparently, qualified as a tsunami. It was no joke in Japan, however, as some areas were evacuated.

We’re not sure how long the wave activity lasted, but it was probably not long enough to get out your board, and it was certainly not long enough for anybody to get through any TSA line.

Chicago Exhibit on Tsunami

by Erik Olsen on

Chicago’s small The Notebaert
Nature Museum is running an interesting
exhibit on last year’s Tsunami, with photogrphs and maps meant to convey the extent of the damage and devastation
wrought by the horrible natural disaster that left at least 216,000 people dead or missing in 12 Indian Ocean
nations.

It’s not a massive exhbit, you have to salute them for the effort. it contains photos and several exhibits
that examine the scientific underpinnings of this particular tsunami as well as others that have occurred in history.
There is also a detailed map showing the locations of the few tsunami warning systems that currently exist, mostly off
the coast of the northwestern United States. They have, of course, with some of the money donated over the last year,
now built one for the Indian Ocean, which might have saved thousands of lives if it had been bult prior to the
earthquake. Worth checking out if you live in or are planning a visit to Chi-Town.