A new article in the journal Natural Hazards documents variations in population exposure in coastal communities of Pacific and Grays Harbor counties to Cascadia-related tsunami hazards as a function of modeled pedestrian travel time to safety. Results suggest that successful evacuations may be possible in some communities assuming slow walking speeds, are plausible in others if travel speeds are increased, and are unlikely in another set of communities given the large distances and short time horizon. Communities can use these results to help prioritize tsunami risk-reduction efforts, such as education and training in areas where evacuations are plausible and vertical-evacuation strategies in areas where they currently are not.
More information can be found at http://www.springerlink.com/content/a6177520x5k6080t/ or by emailing the lead author at nwood@usgs.gov.