Researchers are cautioning that the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a 700-mile long fault line along the US West Coast, is overdue for a disastrous rupture that could produce a mega-tsunami soaring up to 1,000 feet. Such waves could impact Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles in mere minutes, putting over 7 million people in the immediate danger zone at risk. Studies indicate that the likelihood of a significant rupture is greater than 30 percent within the next half-century, and experts emphasize that the current coastal evacuation systems are severely underfunded to manage such a crisis.
