A TSUNAMI HIT ON CALIFORNIA COULD BE QUICK AND COSTLY

Researchers at the Tsunami Research Center at University of Southern California in Los Angeles have studied the economic impact of a tsunami triggered by an undersea landslide off the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles. Their studies have shown that large undersea landslides have occurred in the area, and the potential for future ones exists. The researchers first calculated the inundation zones, followed by a modeling of the economic impact of a tsunami on the region. The impact on the entire Southern California region is reported in terms of jobs lost, exports curtailed, and transportation routes disrupted. Researchers estimate that the cost of repairing the damage could reach up to $42 billion. There is hope that by assigning a dollar value to the consequences of such a disastrous event, there might be motivation for further studies of the offshore geology and stimulate research into tsunami mitigation engineering.