The First Thing I Learned about Lincoln City, Oregon…

… is that they take tsunamis very seriously around here.

This is a photo of the Tsunami Strobe Light Warning System right at the beach. It’s got a klaxon which blows in the event of a tsumami to warn people off the beach and to get to high ground. [It’s also tested every Wednesday at 11 a.m. You can hear it for miles.] The light on top blinks blue.

Here’s a close-up of the explanatory sign on the Tsunami Early Warning System.

And yet another sign, posted in the parking lot near the beach, warning that the beach is a hazardous area in the event of an earthquake (which will cause a tsunami.)

Here’s an unusually round sign (only unusual because all the other tsunami signs have been square) posted along the evacuation route. It makes certain you’re going in the right direction.

When you’ve reached high enough ground, this sign lets you know.

And here’s a sign in front of an evacuation site, which interestingly enough, leaves off the word “tsunami.” Presumably the locals know it’s for that purpose.

The sign just happens to be in front of the local movie theater, which I presume is an awesome place to ride out a tsunami. Because if the world is going to end, and Oregon goes floating off into the sea, you might as well enjoy a good movie (and some popcorn) while it’s happening.