Nearly four months after a series of offshore earthquakes jolted Northern California, a tsunami drill will be held along the Mendocino Coast on Wednesday, the Mendocino County Office of Emergency Services said.
Organized by the county, National Weather Service and the Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group, the annual event tests the readiness of coastal residents if a tsunami is expected. The drill will also take place along the coasts of Humboldt and Del Norte counties.
Last year, the weather service issued a tsunami warning after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Northern California on Dec. 5. No tsunami surge was reported, and the warning was canceled within an hour of being issued.
An emergency alert will be sent via text message to coastal areas at approximately 11 a.m. Wednesday. The message will ask residents to practice their tsunami evacuation plan by moving from low-lying coastal areas.
According to the Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group at Cal Poly Humboldt, tsunami hazard zones include beaches and waterways, including Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg, Arena Cove in Point Arena, and parts of Mendocino and Manchester. Maps of tsunami hazard zones can be found on the Cal Poly website.
Residents not in tsunami hazard zones will be asked to practice their earthquake safety procedures.
The drill will not include a test of the tsunami sirens, the county said.
Residents can register for emergency alerts at mendoready.org.
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