TSUNAMI DAMAGE AND DEBRIS ASSESSMENT OF RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES ALONG THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA

Tsunami have devastating effects on coastal communities like California on many levels. Destruction to ports, homes, and businesses are the most noticeable, but societal effects to mental and physical health, also ravage communities. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) tsunami scenario simulates a M9.0 earthquake offshore of the Alaska Peninsula that creates a tsunami that will impact the coast of California. The USGS scenario will be used to evaluate which counties will be impacted and the flood depth used. The goal of my thesis is to assess the damage and debris generated from the simulated tsunami for the residential structures for the coast of California. The work discussed in this thesis will evaluate the percentage of a residential structure that will be damaged based on the flood depth of the tsunami and calculate the amount of debris generated from residential structures by the tsunami. Adviser: Terri Norto