First-of-its-kind tsunami shelter opens on Washington coast

Shoalwater Bay tribal leaders say their new tsunami evacuation platform on the southwest Washington coast should serve as an example and inspiration for other vulnerable communities.

On Friday, Aug. 5, the tribe held a joyful dedication ceremony for the 50-foot tall tower in Tokeland. This double-decker tsunami evacuation tower resembles things previously built in Japan, but it's the first of its type in North America.

The two other tsunami refuge structures on the Northwest coast — in Newport, Oregon and Westport, Washington — are reinforced platforms on the roofs of a school or university building. The Tokeland tower platforms have a capacity for more than 400 people, which is considerably more than the population of the Shoalwater Bay Tribe. So, a lot of the tribe's neighbors can escape the waves too.

The most likely next place in the Northwest to build a tsunami evacuation tower is the town of Ocean Shores, Wash., which is working with an engineering company on the design.

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