Manual for Tsunami Vertical Evacuation Structures Manual for Tsunami Vertical Evacuation Structures November 2018 Prepared for: Washington State Emergency Management Division 20 Aviation Drive, Building 20, MS TA-20. Camp Murray, WA 98430-5112 Prepared by: University of Washington Institute for Hazards Mitigation Planning and Research Department of Urban Design and Planning University of Washington P.O. Box 355740 Seattle, WA 98195-5740 Acknowledgements University of Washington Project Team § Michael Godfried, Project Manager, Planner, Manual Graphic Layout § Jeana Wiser, Planner § Bob Freitag, Principal Investigator Assisted with Public Meetings: § Kiana Ballo, Undergraduate student § Katherine Idziorek, Doctoral student § Sophia Nelson, Undergraduate student § Lan Nguyen, Doctoral student § Yiran Zhang, Graduate student Washington State Emergency Management Division § Maximilian Dixon, Earthquake, Tsunami, and Volcano Program Manager § Keily Yemm, Tsunami Program Coordinator § Tim Cook, Hazard Mitigation Officer Special Acknowledgements This manual was made possible by the dedication and input of the Washington State Emergency Management Division and a variety of other partner agencies, organizations, professionals, leaders and residents that shared information and participated in interviews, public meetings, and review of drafts. Interviews were essential to producing this manual. Interviewees included elected, tribal, and school district officials, emergency managers, structural and geotechnical engineers, tsunami modelers, an architect, a USGS researcher, and others. Interviewee names can be found in Appendix A: Interviewing Process. The contributions made by all these individuals to support this project are greatly appreciated. This item was funded by NOAA Award #NA17NWS4670017. This does not constitute an endorsement by NOAA. Front Cover: Tsunami Siren. Photo Credit: EMD / Tsunami evacuation platform on roof of the Ocosta Elementary School. Photo Credit / Ocosta Elementary School and Helicopter. Photo Credit: Pete Eckert of Eckert and Eckert Photography. Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..............................................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................................7 Chapter 1: 7 PHASE PROCESS ..................................................................................................................9 Chapter 2: COMMUNITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ROLES .........................................21 1. Community Leaders and Stakeholder Committee Members ......................................................................................22 2. Internal Project Manager .................................................................................................................................................... 23 3. State, County, and Tribal Emergency Managers ..............................................................................................................23 4. State Hazard Mitigation Officer and Federal Grant Funding .......................................................................................25 Chapter 3: TSUNAMI EXPERTS AND PROJECT TEAM ROLES ........................................................27 1. Geologist ................................................................................................................................................................................ 28 2. Tsunami Modeler ................................................................................................................................................................... 29 3. Geotechnical Engineer .......................................................................................................................................................... 30 4. Structural Engineer ................................................................................................................................................................ 31 5. Architect ................................................................................................................................................................................. 33 Chapter 4: TSUNAMI EVACUATION PLANNING GUIDES ..............................................................35 1. How to Respond to and Prepare for a Tsunami .............................................................................................................36 2. Condensed 7 Phase Process ............................................................................................................................................... 39 3. Structure Types and Considerations ..................................................................................................................................41 4. Structure Design Criteria .................................................................................................................................................... 43 5. Project Safe Haven Community Planning Process .........................................................................................................44 Chapter 5: TOOLS ......................................................................................................................................45 1. Revenue Generating .............................................................................................................................................................. 46 2. Partnerships and Other Options ....................................................................................................................................... 47 3. Grants ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 49 4. Planning .................................................................................................................................................................................... 50 5. Regulation ............................................................................................................................................................................... 52 6. Retreat, Protection, and Accommodation .......................................................................................................................53 Chapter 6: FIVE RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................55 Appendix A: Interviewing Process ............................................................................................................61 Appendix B: Public Meetings .....................................................................................................................65 Appendix C: New Zealand Report ...........................................................................................................77 Appendix D: Resources ..............................................................................................................................83 Appendix E: Glossary ..................................................................................................................................91 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Looking towards the Pacific Ocean from Ocean Shores. Photo Credit: UW Project Team Why a Manual?: To reduce Washington State’s huge tsunami risk. Washington State has the second-highest earthquake risk in the United States. Western Washington has several active faults that impact communities along its coastlines. The Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ), just off the Pacific Ocean coastline, runs from Northern California up to Canada and is capable of generating a magnitude 9 earthquake. Earthquakes are a major source for tsunamis in Washington State. A local CSZ tsunami will leave some coastal communities with as little as 15 to 20 minutes to evacuate and is estimated to cause over 8,000 fatalities. Distant tsunamis, coming from as far away as Alaska and Japan, allow for significantly more warning time. Coastal communities that lack sufficient natural or artificial high ground are particularly vulnerable. Residents, employees, and visitors will have limited time to evacuate to safety. For at-risk communities, tsunami vertical evacuation structures are a way to save lives. Evacuation structures are designed to withstand an earthquake, aftershocks, liquefaction, and multiple tsunami waves. They can be included as part of a new building or be a standalone tower or berm. Evacuation structures have performed successfully in Japan and have also been built in New Zealand. In 2016, the Ocosta Elementary School was completed with an evacuation area above the gymnasium. This school, located near Westport, Washington, is the first tsunami vertical evacuation structure to be built in North America. 1 Manual for Tsunami Vertical Evacuation Structures Communities on Washington State’s Pacific Ocean coastline have limited resources. Unlike California and Oregon, Washington State’s major ports, infrastructure and associated funding resources are concentrated in the Puget Sound and along the Columbia River and not along the Washington coast. Tsunami vertical evacuation structures are complex and relatively new. Building these high-performance structures requires a variety of partners and expertise. Communities also have to administer a robust