Experts say a tsunami, a large destructive ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake or some other movement of the earth's surface, could hit and destroy the nearby coast.

The December 2004 tsunami in Thailand devastated coastal areas, bringing worldwide attention to tidal waves. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services (OES) is preparing for a tsunami in the event one hits the nearby coast.

"A statewide tsunami steering committee is chaired by the state Governor's Office of Emergencies and it consists of all 15 coastal counties and state agencies," said Dale Carnathan, a program administrator for the Ventura County Sheriff's OES.

"Here in Ventura County, (the OES) started working together to update the information and the tools that we have available locally to respond in the case of a tsunami."

More than a dozen tsunamis with waves 3 feet or higher have struck California since 1812. Six of them caused damage.

"Typically, there's a damaging tsunami in the Pacific Ocean about once every seven years," Carnathan said. "It's been a while since we've had a damaging tsunami in this area-more than 100 years. However, if you go down the coast toward Orange County, they actually took some damage from the 1964 Alaska earthquake-generated tsunami."

The areas most at risk in the area include Port Hueneme, Oxnard, Naval Base Ventura County, elements of Ventura, and the Rincon and Malibu coastlines.

"We've been represented on the statewide emergency committee for many years," Carnathan said. "And then in June of last year, (the local OES) had a countywide meeting at a single location where we brought in a number of different people from all the different jurisdictions that could be affected. And basically, we brought in all the scientists and told those jurisdictions what the risks were and used that as a stimulating event to get them to commit resources to help us put together a joint plan for the county."

The Ventura County OES has been at work ever since.

"We're in the final stages of developing a plan that we'll be presenting to the public shortly," Carnathan said. "We've identified the areas at risk. We're identifying routes and tools to get people out of the areas at risk. We're identifying special needs facilities. . . . With other agencies, we're coordinating our evacuation routes so that we don't put too much of a load on any one area. We're also working with agencies to identify areas where people could be staged and then picked up by mass transit to get them out of the area. We're identifying shelter sites as well."

Carnathan said local jurisdictions would present the tsunami plans when they're available. Information will also be at www.vcsdorg/oes/.

Preparing for tsunamis isn't as difficult as it might seem, Carnathan said. First, you must determine whether you live, work or play in a danger zone. If you're within two miles of the coast, identify a location at least l00 feet above sea level to go if a tsunami strikes. Develop a family plan and assemble an emergency supply kit.

If you feel a strong earthquake when you're on the coast or learn about a tsunami watch or warning, move inland or to higher ground immediately. Stay away from the coast. Waves may continue for several hours and

travel several times faster than people can walk, run or drive.