Scientist: Myrtle Beach Area Tsunami Likely Not In The Cards
Living near the ocean, and within 90 miles of a nuclear reactor, it's only natural to wonder if the area could face the devastation and nuclear danger now confronting Japan.
Good news, Grand Strand: The chances are slim.
Scientists who study earthquakes and tsunamis say the most likely worst-case scenario for the Grand Strand would be a 9.0 quake in the Puerto Rico Trench, a 500-mile long undersea gash in the earth that lies southeast of us. Its lowest point is 28,232 feet - nearly as deep as Mt. Everest is high.
If that were to happen, northeastern South Carolina would likely see a 6-foot tsunami within four to five hours.
"There wouldn't be mass evacuations," said Horry County Emergency Services Director Randy Webster, "but we would have to get everyone off the beach."
He said most of the Grand Strand is far enough above sea level that beachgoers would simply have to move 300 yards from the water line. In Myrtle Beach, that means crossing Ocean Boulevard. –Read more at Sun News
Living near the ocean, and within 90 miles of a nuclear reactor, it's only natural to wonder if the area could face the devastation and nuclear danger now confronting Japan.
Good news, Grand Strand: The chances are slim.
Scientists who study earthquakes and tsunamis say the most likely worst-case scenario for the Grand Strand would be a 9.0 quake in the Puerto Rico Trench, a 500-mile long undersea gash in the earth that lies southeast of us. Its lowest point is 28,232 feet - nearly as deep as Mt. Everest is high.
If that were to happen, northeastern South Carolina would likely see a 6-foot tsunami within four to five hours.
"There wouldn't be mass evacuations," said Horry County Emergency Services Director Randy Webster, "but we would have to get everyone off the beach."
He said most of the Grand Strand is far enough above sea level that beachgoers would simply have to move 300 yards from the water line. In Myrtle Beach, that means crossing Ocean Boulevard. –Read more at Sun News
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