Unexpected and large scale tragedies can strike at any time, and a Carlsbad tsunami is probably farthest from our minds these days. But I recently saw the Carlsbad tsunami evacuation map at left and decided to share.
What is a tsunami?
It’s basically a set of long-traveling ocean waves with extremely long length that are generated by earthquake disturbances occurring near or below the ocean floor. A tsunami can be either local or remote–the latter being the most frequent to hit the California coast. These are usually generated off the coasts of Alaska, Hawaii, Japan and Chile. These could cause waves of around 4 feet to hit our coasts. A local tsunami would be generated off the coast of California and would be the most dangerous for life and property. The most recent tsunami of this sort occurred in 1812 in Santa Barbara and Ventura County with waves estimated between 6 and 10 feet in height. Both types of tsunamis could cause significant damage, with a local tsunami being potentially catastrophic.
Carlsbad Escape Routes
As you can see in the map, Carlsbad Boulevard would likely be under water and impassable if a local tsunami were to hit Carlsbad. The Batiquitos Lagoon, as you can see, would possibly take the biggest hit followed by the Agua Hedionda Lagoon and the Buena Vista Lagoon to the north.
La Costa Avenue would be a major escape route in south Carlsbad as would Poinsettia Avenue near the Aviara area. Other major escape routes would include Palomar Airport Road, Cannon Road, and various main roads leading out of Carlsbad Village.
To see other inundation maps for San Diego County, you can study the California Conservation maps, which break down coastal areas by city. It’s certainly worth studying in the event of an unexpected tsunami. Let’s just hope we receive adequate and loud warnings!