If a full rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone occurs, the recovery effort will be unlike anything the United States has ever faced. Major cities and small coastal towns alike would be left reeling from the combined force of a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami that follows within minutes. According to the Oregon Resilience Plan, some areas may be without drinking water, power, or functioning sewer systems for months.
▬Contents of this video▬
00:00 – Intro
00:42 – The Cascadia Subduction Zone: A Ticking Time Bomb
02:12 – The Mega Tsunami Threat
05:34 – How Prepared Are We?
07:15 – Brent Dmitruk and the Culebra Event Theory
09:04 – Tsunami Evacuation and Public Awareness
11:02 – The New Yorker’s Wake-Up Call and FEMA’s Stark Prediction
13:03 – Outro
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In rural coastal communities, those timelines stretch even longer—up to three years for full restoration. Many of the roads, bridges, and tunnels that connect these regions to emergency services are not built to survive a quake of this size. The shaking alone could destroy overpasses and leave highways impassable. Meanwhile, the tsunami could sweep away entire neighborhoods, flattening buildings and cutting off evacuation routes. Hospitals in the affected zones would likely be overwhelmed, and some might be destroyed or inaccessible. Emergency responders would face enormous logistical hurdles, especially if airports and helipads are damaged. Supplies would need to be airlifted in, and survivors could be stranded for days or weeks. FEMA’s own models suggest that up to 13,000 people could die, with another 27,000 injured and over a million displaced.
The financial cost is harder to pin down, but estimates range into the hundreds of billions. Recovery wouldn’t just be about rebuilding homes. It would involve replacing entire utility networks, restoring businesses, and helping families cope with trauma. In many areas, especially those reliant on tourism or fishing, the local economy might never fully recover. And beyond the physical damage, the psychological toll of losing loved ones, homes, and entire communities would stretch on for generations. In short, the aftermath of a Cascadia megaquake and tsunami would reshape the West Coast—socially, economically, and physically—for decades to come.
Earthquake Researcher Warns of Mega Tsunami Hitting the West Coast