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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 />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 />