systems which are predominantly confined to the Pacific Ocean. 



5. The loss of life and destruction of property resulting from tsunamis 

 have been immense. The Great Hoei Tokaido-Nankaido tsunami of Japan killed 

 30,000 people in 1707. In 1868, the Great Peru tsunami caused 25,000 deaths 

 and carried the frigate USS Waterlee 1,300 ft inland. The Great Meiji Sanriku 

 tsunami of 1896 killed 27,122 persons in Japan and washed away over 10,000 

 houses. 



6. In recent times, three tsunamis have caused major destruction in 

 areas of the United States. The Great Aleutian tsunami of 1946 killed 173 

 persons in Hawaii, where heights as great as 55 ft were recorded. The 1960 

 Chilean tsunami killed 330 people in Chile, 61 in Hawaii, and 199 in distant 

 Japan. The most recent major tsunami to affect the United States, the 1964 

 Alaskan tsunami, killed 107 people in Alaska, 4 in Oregon, and 11 in Crescent 

 City, California, and caused over 100 million dollars in damage on the west 

 coast of North America. 



Purpose of Study 



7. The purpose of this study was to establish 100- and 500-year com- 

 bined tsunami and tide elevations for the coast of Alaska from (and includ- 

 ing) Kodiak Island to Ketchikan. The study area is shown in Figure 1. The 

 Alexander Archipelago beyond the open coast is not included in the study area. 

 Previous reports by Houston and Garcia (1978) and Houston (1980) established 

 the 100- and 500-year elevations for the west coast of the continental United 

 States. The 100- and 500-year elevations are required by the Federal Insur- 

 ance Administration of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for use 

 in flood insurance rate determinations. 



