South Coast Tsunami & Cascadia Safety
Know your zone.
Know your way out.
Practical tsunami safety and training for Coos Bay, North Bend, Charleston, Bandon, Reedsport, Port Orford, and surrounding South Coast communities. Learn the warning signs, find your evacuation map, and make a plan before you need it.
Strong or long shaking? Protect yourself. Then evacuate.
If you are in a tsunami evacuation zone or low-lying coastal area, move to high ground or inland outside the zone as soon as shaking stops and you can move safely. Do not wait for a siren, phone alert, or someone to tell you to leave.
If you are on a beach or near the water and feel any earthquake, move off the beach to high ground or inland as soon as it is safe.
Drop. Cover. Hold on.
Get low, cover your head and neck, and hold onto sturdy shelter until shaking stops. Inside a building, stay inside during shaking and keep away from windows.
Wheelchair users: lock wheels, remain seated, and protect your head and neck.
Move out of the zone.
Follow evacuation signs toward your planned safe destination. Travel on foot if you can; damaged roads and traffic may block vehicles. Take a ready bag only if it is immediately accessible.
Stay out. Stay informed.
Remain outside the evacuation zone until local officials say it is safe to return. More waves may follow; the first wave may be smaller than later waves.
Guidance: NWS: During a tsunami · CDC: Earthquake safety
Your destination depends on where you start.
Use official evacuation maps to locate your home, workplace, school, lodging, and beach access. Identify a destination outside the local Cascadia tsunami evacuation zone, plus a route you can actually travel. A familiar parking lot or public building is not automatically a safe destination.
Interactive evacuation map
Find tsunami zones and available evacuation information for your location. Save or print your route before an emergency.
Open NANOOS evacuation viewer →South Coast map library
Find neighborhood maps in Coos, Douglas, and Curry counties, including Bandon, Reedsport, and Port Orford. Use the map that covers your actual location.
Browse DOGAMI neighborhood maps →“Beat the Wave” maps
Study modeled evacuation routes and required travel speeds where available. Models do not guarantee that roads or bridges will remain usable.
Explore route and speed maps →Bandon
Use the Bandon evacuation brochure and neighborhood maps for the city, river mouth, and nearby beaches. Select your starting point before choosing a route.
Bandon evacuation map (PDF) →Reedsport & nearby coast
Use the Reedsport, Gardiner, and Winchester Bay evacuation map. Review the Umpqua estuary area even when you are away from the ocean beach.
Reedsport area evacuation map (PDF) →Port Orford
Use the Port Orford evacuation brochure and neighborhood maps. Identify a route to a destination outside the local tsunami zone from your home, lodging, or harbor location.
Port Orford evacuation map (PDF) →These map links are planning resources, not live evacuation orders. Check DOGAMI’s map library for current editions and other locations.
Practice the route before you need it
- Mark your starting point and safe destination on a printed map.
- Identify an alternate route and any bridges, steep slopes, gates, or difficult surfaces.
- Walk or roll the route with your household and the equipment you use.
- Review barriers with local emergency management if you cannot reach safety.
Understand the destination
An assembly area is a gathering point; it may not provide food, medical care, or overnight shelter. Follow official instructions for shelter locations during an event.
Ask local emergency management about designated vertical evacuation options if high ground is unreachable. Do not assume an ordinary tall building is designed or designated for tsunami refuge.
Sources: DOGAMI evacuation maps · Beat the Wave · NWS evacuation planning
Cascadia: an earthquake and a coastal emergency.
What is the Cascadia Subduction Zone?
It is the offshore plate boundary where the Juan de Fuca Plate moves beneath the North American Plate. A large rupture can produce a very powerful earthquake and displace seawater, generating a tsunami.
The last great Cascadia earthquake occurred on January 26, 1700, with an estimated magnitude of 8.7–9.2. This history is evidence for preparedness, not a timetable for the next earthquake.
Local versus distant tsunamis
Local: A nearby earthquake can send waves toward the Oregon coast within minutes. Some Oregon locations could see arrival in about 15 minutes; this is not a countdown for your location or a safe waiting period.
Distant: An earthquake far across the ocean may generate a tsunami without local shaking. Monitor official messages and act on instructions for your area.
Learn more: USGS: Pacific Northwest earthquake hazards · Oregon: Cascadia impacts · DOGAMI inundation studies
Know what each tsunami alert means.
These are explanations of alert categories, not current conditions. Messages can change as scientists assess the event.
Warning
Dangerous flooding is possible or occurring. Move to high ground or inland outside the evacuation zone and follow local instructions.
Advisory
Dangerous waves and currents are possible. Stay out of the water and away from beaches, harbors, and waterways. Follow local instructions.
Watch
A tsunami is possible. Monitor official updates, review your plan, and be ready to act.
Information statement
An earthquake has occurred; usually no destructive tsunami is expected, or the threat is still being evaluated. Read the actual bulletin.
In Reedsport, use Douglas County alerts; in Port Orford, use Curry County resources. Find your county’s alert signup through OR-Alert.
NWS: Understanding tsunami alerts · Coos County Emergency Management
A plan you can use. Supplies you can carry.
Build your personal evacuation plan
Use this checklist as a planning exercise. Checkmarks are temporary and are not saved or submitted.
Start a lightweight go bag
Suggested planning list: adapt it to your health, mobility, household, and climate. Keep it ready so collecting supplies does not delay evacuation.
- Drinking water and ready-to-eat food.
- Essential medications, medication list, glasses, and personal medical supplies.
- Sturdy footwear, warm layers, and rain protection.
- Flashlight, spare batteries, whistle, and basic first aid supplies.
- Battery radio, phone charging bank, and charging cable.
- Printed evacuation map, contact card, identification copies, and cash.
- Infant supplies, hygiene items, and supplies for pets or service animals.
Prepare for a longer disruption
Oregon’s Be 2 Weeks Ready program recommends an emergency plan and at least two weeks of household supplies. Build gradually; keep your evacuation bag light enough to carry.
Use the free Be 2 Weeks Ready toolkit →Planning resources: NWS: Before a tsunami · Oregon OEM household preparedness
Plan for the people who depend on you.
Access & medical needs
Discuss evacuation help in advance. Test routes with your mobility device and support person. Plan for medication, communication needs, and backup power for essential equipment.
Ask county emergency management about local planning resources; do not rely on a rescue arriving before the tsunami.
Children & visitors
Choose a meeting point outside the zone. Learn school and childcare reunification procedures before an event. Visitors should ask lodging or campground staff for the local map when they arrive.
Pets & service animals
Include animals in route practice and supply planning. Keep leashes, carriers, food, water, and needed medication accessible. Plan who will assist each animal during evacuation.
At the harbor or on a boat?
If you are in a harbor, plan to leave the boat and reach safety on land. Do not head toward the waterfront to protect property. If already at sea, follow U.S. Coast Guard and harbor guidance; safe depths vary by region. Monitor marine VHF channel 16 and avoid returning to a harbor under warning.
NWS: Planning and boating guidance · OEM preparedness toolkit
Turn information into a practiced response.
Use this suggested self-guided session with your household, workplace, or neighborhood. It is a practice outline, not a certification course.
Name the warning signs
Review earthquake protection and natural tsunami warnings. Have each person explain what they would do if no phone alert arrives.
NWS tsunami learning center →Read your actual map
Find your starting point, the local zone boundary, and a destination outside it. Compare two routes. Discuss what would happen if one route were blocked.
Open the evacuation viewer →Walk or roll the route
Practice safely in normal conditions. Record travel time and barriers. Include anyone who needs help. Improve the plan together and schedule another practice.
Ask about local preparedness opportunities →Keep learning
Oregon’s free preparedness toolkit includes units on emergency plans, food, water, hygiene, shelter, first aid, and emergency management, with activities and several language versions plus ASL resources.
Explore the toolkit and accessible learning resources →Wait for local permission to return.
The first wave is not the end
Waves and dangerous currents can continue for hours or days. A quiet interval, an exposed beach, or a canceled tsunami warning does not automatically mean local areas are safe.
Stay outside the zone until local officials authorize return. If already outside it, stay there unless officials direct you otherwise.
Expect continuing hazards
Avoid damaged buildings, debris, downed power lines, and broken utilities. Stay clear so responders can work. Follow official instructions about drinking water, shelter, road closures, and reentry.
Use brief messages to let loved ones know you are safe when communications are available. Save emergency phone capacity for urgent needs.
Immediate life-threatening emergency: Call 911. Do not call 911 for general tsunami updates.
Common questions
Do I need to wait for a siren?
No. Natural warning signs may be your only warning. After protecting yourself during shaking, evacuate a coastal hazard zone as soon as you can safely move. See NWS warning guidance.
Can I drive to safety?
Plan to evacuate on foot if you can. Earthquake damage and congestion may make driving impossible. If you require transportation assistance, develop a specific plan in advance with your support network and local emergency management.
Is there one safe elevation or distance for the entire area?
Use the official map for your location and a destination outside the local evacuation zone. Shoreline shape and terrain change the hazard. A single countywide elevation or distance cannot replace the map.
Should I go home or collect children before evacuating?
Plan in advance for each person to reach safety from wherever they are. Know school evacuation and reunification procedures. Do not make a return trip into the hazard zone to meet family or collect belongings.
Is the beach safe if the water looks normal?
Appearance alone cannot establish safety. Follow official restrictions and remain outside evacuated areas until local officials authorize return.
Further guidance: NWS planning · NWS reentry safety · Oregon Tsunami Clearinghouse