Tsunami Directions

The roads in California coastal communities have many, many traffic signs to assist residents in the event of a tsunami wave hitting the California shoreline.  Here are some of the signs.

All the signs are cleverly positioned so that their arrows point east.  The message is this:  If a tsunami is imminent, get away from the beach.

None of the signs in our area specifies a particular route.  The arrows just point east.

Honestly, I have to question whether these signs are helpful.

Sensors have been placed all over the Pacific Ocean to monitor waves and predict tsunamis hours before the big waves come to shore.   The internet, broadcast outlets and neighbors will warn people living near the Pacific Ocean if a tsunami is approaching.  These people will get in their cars and head east.

If you live near the ocean and see a backup of cars on all the east-bound roads in your neighborhood, someone in one of the cars will roll down a window and yell to advise you what is happening.  You will learn quickly about the tsunami and, if you have a functioning brain, you will follow the traffic and go east.

If a tsunami originates from a closer spot, say Catalina Island or the Farallon Islands, and there is no warning, you will recognize there is a problem when your feet get wet or you see lines of cars heading east.  Again, if you have a functioning brain, you will join the traffic and proceed away from the flooding water -- that is, to the east.

If you do not have a functioning brain, signs like the ones above will be of no help to you.