Experts have raised alarms that the Cascadia Subduction Zone — a 700-mile long fault line along the Pacific Coast — has the potential to trigger a magnitude 9+ earthquake, leading to a mega-tsunami that could unleash 1,000-foot waves on California, Oregon, and Washington. FEMA projects that such an event could result in over 11,000 fatalities in Oregon alone, with coastal communities facing warning times as brief as 15 minutes. Evacuation strategies across the three states are still not fully developed.
