{"id":1273,"date":"2018-12-08T07:00:29","date_gmt":"2018-12-08T12:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=1273"},"modified":"2018-12-07T15:28:08","modified_gmt":"2018-12-07T20:28:08","slug":"a-reader-asks-in-the-event-of-a-tsunami-in-boston-where-is-the-safest-place-to-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/08\/a-reader-asks-in-the-event-of-a-tsunami-in-boston-where-is-the-safest-place-to-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"A reader* asks: “In the event of a tsunami in Boston, where is the safest place to drive?”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What an odd question! It’s true the risk is not zero (see “Study: Boston, New England at Greatest Tsunami Risk in US<\/a>“), but it’s very low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, the answer on how\/where to evacuate to would depend on how much time you have before the tsunami hits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

if you have meaningful advance notice, which is not uncommon with tsunami warnings, your best bet would be to head west or north-west of the city, towards higher ground. In particular, I-93 North might offer the swiftest route to seriously high ground, depending on what elevation you need. The Massachusetts turnpike also offers significant elevation after a relatively small number of miles heading west. Routes 2 and 3, although not superhighways, are other good options. If the roads are packed, pick any road that heads west or northwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The worst you could do would be to take any of the roads that hug the coast, such as I-95 or Route 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you only have minutes of advance notice, don’t bother trying to get in your car. Just find a very sturdy, tall structure and get to the highest floor you can. Above-ground parking garages can be particularly good, because the open design allows the rising, moving floodwaters to pass through the building, rather than delivering full force against solid walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, back to the oddness: Although New England has some seismic activity<\/a>, it’s usually mild. The largest threat of a major tsunami here is a very low-order probability of a mountain collapse in the Canary Islands. This theory got some traction a few years back, but now is not considered anything to worry about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flooding from storm surges during hurricanes and major storms is a much greater threat, but usually is a problem only along the immediate coast and up coastal riverways. Stay away from those, and you’ll be fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Permalink: <\/em>https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=1273<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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* Want to ask Fred a question? Have a comment? Click here!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want free notification of new content like this? Click here<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A reader wonders where to seek higher ground in and around Boston.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,17,10,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-reader-asks","category-around-boston","category-science-and-tech","category-weather"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-kx","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":451,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/29\/a-boston-reader-asks-where-in-boston-can-you-meditate-away-from-car-noise-but-not-have-to-pay-for-this-quiet-space\/","url_meta":{"origin":1273,"position":0},"title":"A reader asks: Where in Boston can you meditate away from car noise but not have to pay for this quiet space?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-09-29","format":false,"excerpt":"Q. Where in Boston can you meditate away from car noise but not have to pay for this quiet space? (via Quora) A: Try the Boston Museum of Fine Arts\u2019 free Japanese Garden, \"Tenshin-en.\" Tenshin-en, or the \u201cGarden of the Heart of Heaven,\u201d is a contemplative Japanese garden designed so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mfas3.s3.amazonaws.com\/styles\/banner_grid-6_retina\/s3\/SC24483_4x3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mfas3.s3.amazonaws.com\/styles\/banner_grid-6_retina\/s3\/SC24483_4x3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mfas3.s3.amazonaws.com\/styles\/banner_grid-6_retina\/s3\/SC24483_4x3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mfas3.s3.amazonaws.com\/styles\/banner_grid-6_retina\/s3\/SC24483_4x3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mfas3.s3.amazonaws.com\/styles\/banner_grid-6_retina\/s3\/SC24483_4x3.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":945,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/11\/04\/a-reader-asks-why-does-boston-have-so-many-universities-compared-to-other-cities\/","url_meta":{"origin":1273,"position":1},"title":"A reader asks: Why does Boston have so many universities compared to other cities?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-11-04","format":false,"excerpt":"A reader asks: \"Why does Boston have so many universities compared to other cities?\" Boston benefits from almost 400 years of continual investment in education. For example, Harvard University was founded in 1636, just six years after Boston itself. That wasn\u2019t an accident: From its founding, up to the American\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1748,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/02\/a-reader-asks-why-is-the-weather-so-unpredictable-in-boston-ma\/","url_meta":{"origin":1273,"position":2},"title":"A reader asks: “Why is the weather SO unpredictable in Boston, MA?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-02-02","format":false,"excerpt":"Regional forecasts are actually pretty accurate. (See: How Reliable Are Weather Forecasts?) But very local, small scale forecasts have additional variables. For example, Boston is a waterfront city and so is subject to various effects that apply only to the immediate coast. A distance of a few miles\/KM can make\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1019,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/11\/10\/1019\/","url_meta":{"origin":1273,"position":3},"title":"A reader asks: Is there good hiking around Boston accessible by public transit?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-11-10","format":false,"excerpt":"Reader Patti McIntyre asks: \"What are some good hiking spots around Boston that I can access by public transportation?\" Some of my favorites: Middlesex Fells Reservation, 2,200 acres (890 ha) of woods, hills, and lakes north of the city. Many access points; depending on where you want to go, you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":778,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/21\/how-did-massachusetts-get-its-name\/","url_meta":{"origin":1273,"position":4},"title":"A reader asks: How did Massachusetts get its name?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-10-21","format":false,"excerpt":"Q: How did Massachusetts get its name? (via Quora) A: The name is an Algonquin Indian place name, variously mangled and interpreted by European explorers and settlers. The History of Massachusetts web site offers several interpretations: \u25cf From the Algonquin \u201cmassa\u201d meaning \u201cgreat\u201d and \u201cwachusett\u201d meaning \u201cmountain place\u201d or \u201clarge\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1195,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/01\/a-reader-asks-why-havent-chicago-new-york-and-boston-produced-tech-hubs-like-silicon-valley\/","url_meta":{"origin":1273,"position":5},"title":"A reader asks: Why haven’t Chicago, New York, and Boston produced tech hubs like Silicon Valley?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-12-01","format":false,"excerpt":"Q. Why haven't Chicago, New York, and Boston produced tech hubs like Silicon Valley? (via Quora) A: Ha! Boston has been and still is a major tech hub. In fact, Boston was the US's first, and thus is also its oldest high-tech hub, starting all the way back with the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1273"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1295,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1273\/revisions\/1295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}