i have a buddy living in coos bay (on the southern oregon coast), right in the middle of where the CSZ will likely occur. because he too is quite concerned about the possibility of this happening, i forwarded him this thread. here is his reply to me, which i thought was pretty insightful:


I've gone over this scenario many times in my head. When this M9 earthquake and Tsunami hits, all coastal cities and their infrastructure will be devastated. transportation corridors and electricity/natural gas transmission will be down. Bridges out.

I see people sheltering in place for about a week, maybe 2, until food stocks run low. Then the evacuation of the coast will begin. It may be on foot or on ATVs, but it will move toward the I-5 corridor, which will also be seriously hampered by cuts in transportation, and electricity and gas transmission.

The Cascades and high desert present quite a challenge/barrier to mass exodus of people from the coast. But relief supplies will have to come in and refugees will have to come out. Those trucks and trains probably will not run empty as they drop off loads and head back east. Many of us have family in the inland northwest or farther east. I imagine that 3 months after the CSZ rupture, the coast will be depopulated by at least 50% and the diaspora will relocate across the country, just as happened to some extent with Katrina.

As infrastructural is re-established, the diaspora will slowly return--also just like Katrina.