‘Only 10 minutes to escape’: Cascadia’s mega-tsunami threat is closer than you think

Produced by: Manoj Kumar

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1,000-Foot Wall

Scientists say a mega-tsunami could tower like a skyscraper—up to 1,000 feet tall—swallowing cities like Seattle and slamming the US West Coast with apocalyptic force.

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The Sleeping Giant

Beneath the Pacific Northwest lies a 600-mile fault—the Cascadia Subduction Zone—that could snap without warning and unleash a mega-quake with deadly consequences.

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50-Year Countdown

There’s a 15% chance a magnitude 8.0+ quake will strike Cascadia in the next 50 years. That’s not “if”—it’s “when,” and it could change the map forever.

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Sinking Cities

A rupture in the fault could drop entire coastal towns by over 6 feet in seconds—just enough to make them prime targets for tsunami annihilation.

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Minutes to Flee

If the quake hits, coastal communities might have only 10 minutes to escape. No time to think, just run—for your life.

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Alaska’s Sliding Slopes

Melting glaciers are making Alaska’s mountains unstable. One massive landslide into the sea could trigger a regional tsunami with global shockwaves.

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Hawaii’s Hidden Threat

Volcanic flank collapses off Hawaii’s coast could spark sudden, devastating waves—an ancient threat that modern science is only beginning to grasp.

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Ghosts of 1700

The last time Cascadia snapped, Japan recorded waves from it. The Pacific remembers—and the signs point to history repeating itself.

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Millions in the Crosshairs

FEMA warns a Cascadia quake could kill 13,000 and displace over a million. With infrastructure aging and awareness low, the risk is far from theoretical.