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attracts. The number of illegal aliens reaching U.S. shores <br /> also increases vulnerability to disease hazards. Indian River <br /> County's vulnerability to epidemic outbreaks is considered <br /> relatively low when assessed against other Florida counties, <br /> primarily because its population is lower and it is not a key <br /> destination for illegal immigration. Medical facilities are <br /> adequate for current need, but would be stressed if forced to <br /> deal with a major disease outbreak. <br /> t. Tsunamis — Hazard Identification. A tsunami is a series of <br /> waves created when a body of water, such as in an ocean, is <br /> rapidly displaced. A tsunami has a much smaller amplitude <br /> (wave height) offshore, and a very long wavelength (often <br /> hundreds of kilometers long), which is why they generally pass <br /> unnoticed at sea, forming only a passing "hump" in the ocean. <br /> Tsunamis have been historically referred to as tidal waves <br /> because as they approach land, they take on the <br /> characteristics of a violent onrushing tide rather than the sort of <br /> cresting waves that are formed by wind action upon the ocean. <br /> Since they are not actually related to tides, the term is <br /> considered misleading and its usage is discouraged by <br /> oceanographers. <br /> There is another phenomenon often confused with tsunamis <br /> called rogue waves. There remains debate as to whether these <br /> waves are related to tsunamis. They are included in this <br /> section as the mitigation plans address the threat in the same <br /> relative manner. The characteristics are: <br /> • Unpredictable nature <br /> • Little is known about the formation <br /> • May be caused by regularly-spaced ocean swells that <br /> are magnified by currents or the atmosphere <br /> Historic Events. The history of big waves hitting Florida is <br /> short: <br /> • A powerful earthquake in Portugal in 1755 killed <br /> thousands there and launched a tsunami that hit <br /> much of the U.S. coast. Scientists don't know if <br /> that caused many deaths in Florida, which was <br /> sparsely populated at the time; <br /> • An earthquake in Charleston, S.C., in 1886 <br /> triggered a wave that surged up the St. Johns <br /> River to Jacksonville, causing few if any deaths; <br /> Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Basic Page 57 <br />