People in warning areas are advised to move inland.
In 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit off the coast of Honshu, Japan and triggered a tsunami.
Tsunamis in California are not common and for the most part, have caused little or no damage when they have occurred.
How far can a tsunami go inland?
10 miles
Can there be a tsunami in Los Angeles?
But just off the coast, scientists say another danger lurks: several major faults capable of producing major earthquakes that could send tsunamis crashing into Los Angeles and San Diego. The last big quake generated by these faults was the magnitude 7 Lompoc earthquake in 1927 that generated a 6-foot tsunami.
When was the last time there was a tsunami in California?
April 1, 1946: A quake in the Alaska Subduction Zone generated this tsunami, which caused flooding about 1,000 feet inland in Half Moon Bay on California’s Central Coast. March 28, 1964: The West Coast’s most devastating tsunami on record was generated by a deadly magnitude-9.2 quake off Alaska.
Photo in the article by “National Park Service” https://www.nps.gov/articles/coastal-geohazards-tsunamis.htm