SUBSCRIBE TO TMCnet
TMCnet - World's Largest Communications and Technology Community

CHANNEL BY TOPICS


QUICK LINKS




Calif., Ore. sustain most U.S. damage from tsunami

Associated Press Featured Article

March 15, 2011

Calif., Ore. sustain most U.S. damage from tsunami

By Associated Press ,

CRESCENT CITY, Calif. (AP) — The warnings traveled quickly across the Pacific in the middle of the night: An 8.9–magnitude earthquake in Japan spawned a deadly tsunami, and it was racing east Friday as fast as a jetliner.

Sirens blared in Hawaii. The West Coast pulled back from the shoreline, fearing the worst. People were warned to stay away from the beaches. Fishermen took their boats out to sea and safety.

The alerts moved faster than the waves, giving millions of people across the Pacific Rim hours to prepare.

In the end, harbors and marinas in California and Oregon bore the brunt of the damage, estimated by authorities to be in the millions of dollars.

Boats crashed into each other, some vessels were pulled out to sea and docks were ripped out. Rescue crews searched hours for a man who was swept out to sea while taking pictures.

None of the damage — in the U.S., South America or Canada — was anything like the devastation in Japan.

The warnings — the second major one for the region in a year — and the response showed how far the earthquake–prone Pacific Rim had come since a deadly tsunami caught much of Asia by surprise in 2004.

"That was a different era," said Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. "We got the warning out very quickly. It would not have been possible to do it that fast in 2004."

Within 10 minutes after Japan was shaken by its biggest earthquake in recorded history, the center had issued its warning. The offshore quake pushed water onto land, sometimes miles inland, sweeping away boats, cars, homes and people. Hundreds are dead.


As the tsunami raced across the Pacific at 500 mph, the first sirens began sounding across Hawaii late Thursday night.

Police went through the tourist mecca of Waikiki, warning of an approaching tsunami. Hotels moved tourists from lower floors to upper levels. Some tourists ended up spending the night in their cars.

Across the islands, people stocked up on bottled water, canned foods and toilet paper. Authorities opened buildings to people fleeing low–lying areas. Fishermen took their boats out to sea, away from harbors and marinas where the waves would be most intense.

Residents did the same last February, when an 8.8–magnitude quake in Chile prompted tsunami warnings. The waves did little damage then.

Early Friday, the tsunami waves reached Hawaii, tossing boats in Honolulu. The water covered beachfront roads and rushed into hotels on the Big Island. The waves carried a house out to sea. Seven–foot waves flooded low–lying areas in Maui.

As the sun rose, people breathed a sigh of relief.

"With everything that could have happened and did happen in Japan, we're just thankful that nothing else happened," said Sabrina Skiles, who along with her husband spent a sleepless night at his office in Maui. Their beachfront house was unscathed.

Many other Pacific islands also evacuated their shorelines for a time. In Guam, the waves broke two U.S. Navy submarines from their moorings, but tug boats brought them back to their pier.

In Oregon, the first swells to hit the U.S. mainland were barely noticeable.

Sirens pierced the air in Seaside, a popular tourist town near the Washington state line. Restaurants, gift shops and other beachfront businesses stayed shuttered.

Thousands of people in Oregon and hundreds in Washington state fled to higher ground at the approach of the waves, waiting until the all–clear before returning.

Albert Wood said he and his wife decided to leave their home late Thursday night after watching news about the Japan quake — the fifth–largest earthquake since 1900.

Wood was expecting the waves to get bigger and more intense than what he saw. Still, he shook his head as the cars lining the hills began to drive west, into the lowlands adjacent to the shore.

"Just if you ask me, they're being too bold," Wood said. "It's still early. They're just not being cautious."

Erik Bergman was back at the shore by 9:30 in the morning. Roughly 100 feet away was a man playing with his dog. Two small children chased seagulls.

"People aren't too nervous," Bergman said.

President Barack Obama said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to come to the aid of any U.S. state or territory that needed help. Coast Guard cutters and aircraft were readied to respond as soon as conditions allowed.

Outside Brookings, Ore., just north of the California border, four people went to a beach to watch the waves and were swept into the sea. Two got out on their own, and the others were rescued, authorities said.

Brookings harbor saw the worst reported damage in the state with half the facility destroyed and 10 boats sunk, Curry County Sheriff John Bishop (News - Alert) said.

"The port is in total disarray," he said.

In Crescent City, Calif., miles to the south, the Coast Guard suspended their hours–long search at dark for a man who was swept out to sea. He was taking photos near the mouth of the Klamath River. Two people with him jumped in to rescue him. They were able to get back to land, authorities said.

Sheriff's deputies went door to door at dawn to urge residents to seek higher ground.

An 8–foot wave rushed into the harbor, destroying about 35 boats and ripping chunks off the wooden docks, as marina workers and fishermen scrambled between surges to secure property. Officials estimated millions of dollars in damage.

When the water returned, someone would yell "Here comes another one!" to clear the area.

Ted Scott, a retired mill worker who lived in the city when a 1964 tsunami killed 17 people on the West Coast, including 11 in Crescent City, watched the water pour into the harbor.

"This is just devastating. I never thought I'd see this again," he said. "I watched the docks bust apart. It buckled like a graham cracker."

The waves, however, had not made it over a 20–foot break wall protecting the rest of the city. No serious injuries were immediately reported.

On the central coast in Santa Cruz, loose fishing boats crashed into one another and docks broke away from the shore. The water rushed out as quickly as it poured in, leaving the boats tipped over in mud.

Some surfers ignored evacuation warnings before they were lifted and took advantage of the waves ahead of the tsunami.

"The tides are right, the swell is good, the weather is good, the tsunami is there," said William Hill, an off–duty California trooper. "We're going out."

Scientists warned that the first tsunami waves are not always the strongest. The threat can last for several hours and people should watch out for strong currents.

U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Ken Hudnut said residents along the coast should heed any calls for evacuation.

"Do the right thing," Hudnut said. "Be safe."

___

Associated Press (News - Alert) writers contributing to this report include Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Janie McCauley on the Big Island, Denise Petski and Daisy Nguyen in Los Angeles, Martha Mendoza in Santa Cruz, Calif., Garance Burke in San Francisco, Kathy McCarthy in Seattle, Nigel Duara in Seaside, Ore., Jeff Barnard in Crescent City, Calif., Tim Fought in Portland, Ore., Rob Gillies in Toronto, Alicia Chang in Pasadena, Calif., Terry Tang, Michelle Price and Carson Walker in Phoenix. Mark Niesse contributed from Ewa Beach, Hawaii. Song reported from Honolulu.

Related Images:


 A boat sinks into the ocean in the aftermath of the surge caused by a tsunami on the harbor in Santa Cruz, Calif., Friday, March 11, 2011. A ferocious tsunami unleashed by Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it carried away ships, cars and homes, and triggered widespread fires that burned out of control. Hours later, the waves washed ashore on Hawaii and the U.S. West coast, where evacuations were ordered from California to Washington but little damage was reported. The entire Pacific had been put on alert _ including coastal areas of South America, Canada and Alaska _ but waves were not as bad as expected. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

 A boat ripped from its anchor by a tsunami surge crashes into boats on the harbor in Santa Cruz, Calif., Friday, March 11, 2011. A ferocious tsunami unleashed by Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it carried away ships, cars and homes, and triggered widespread fires that burned out of control. Hours later, the waves washed ashore on Hawaii and the U.S. West coast, where evacuations were ordered from California to Washington but little damage was reported. The entire Pacific had been put on alert _ including coastal areas of South America, Canada and Alaska _ but waves were not as bad as expected. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

 Driven by the force of a tsunami surge, a loose boat slams into another in the boat basin at Crescent City, Calif., on Friday, March 11, 2011. A ferocious tsunami unleashed by Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it carried away ships, cars and homes, and triggered widespread fires that burned out of control. Hours later, the waves washed ashore on Hawaii and the U.S. West coast, where evacuations were ordered from California to Washington but little damage was reported. The entire Pacific had been put on alert _ including coastal areas of South America, Canada and Alaska _ but waves were not as bad as expected. (AP Photo/Jeff Barnard)

 Driven by the force of a tsunami surge, a loose boat slams into another in the boat basin at Crescent City, Calif., on Friday, March 11, 2011. A ferocious tsunami unleashed by Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it carried away ships, cars and homes, and triggered widespread fires that burned out of control. Hours later, the waves washed ashore on Hawaii and the U.S. West coast, where evacuations were ordered from California to Washington but little damage was reported. The entire Pacific had been put on alert _ including coastal areas of South America, Canada and Alaska _ but waves were not as bad as expected. (AP Photo/Jeff Barnard)

 Visitors take photos as a surfer takes a wave at about the time the effects of a tsunami were expected, at Surfrider Beach in Malibu, Calif., Friday, March 11, 2011. Though waves surged in other areas along California's coast from a tsunami triggered by the massive earthquake in Japan, there was little noticeable change in conditions at Malibu, where the beach was not closed to the public. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon).

 With a tsunami warning in effect for Northern California, two men watch the waves at San Francisco's Ocean Beach on Friday, March 11, 2011. The tsunami warnings came after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

 People watch the water recede from Hobron Harbor in Honolulu on Friday, March 11, 2011. Tsunami waves swamped Hawaii beaches before dawn Friday but didn't cause any major damage after devastating Japan. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

 Times Supermarket employee Christopher Maeda, left, rings up water and food supplies for Charo Rodrigues Thursday, March 10, 2011 in Honolulu. The state of Hawaii is under a tsunami warning due to a large 8.9 earthquake off Japan. The earthquake is believed to have generated a tsumani wave. The Pacific Tsunami Center expects the wave to hit Hawaii at 2:59 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)

 Hundreds of Oahu residents flocked to the Times Supermarket to purchase water and supplies Thursday, March 10, 2011 in Honolulu. The state of Hawaii is under a tsunami warning due to a large 8.9 earthquake off Japan. The earthquake is believed to have generated a tsumani wave. The Pacific Tsunami Center expects the wave to hit Hawaii at 2:59 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)

 Ella Marie Lapitan fills her gas tank, Thursday, March 10, 2011 in Ewa, Hawaii as residents brace for a tsunami after a massive earthquake in Japan. (AP Photo/ Marco Garcia)

 A man stands on the sidewalk on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki, Hawaii as a reported tsunami heads toward the Hawaiian Islands early Friday, March 11, 2011 in Honolulu. Tsunami waves hit Hawaii in the early morning hours Friday and were sweeping through the island chain after an earthquake in Japan sparked evacuations throughout the Pacific and as far as the U.S. western coast. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said Kauai was the first of the Hawaiian islands hit by the tsunami. Water rushed ashore in Honolulu, swamping the beach in Waikiki and surging over the break wall in the world-famous resort but stopping short of the area's high-rise hotels. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)

 Small boats lie in the sand after water receded from Hobron Harbor in Honolulu on Friday, March 11, 2011. Tsunami waves swamped Hawaii beaches before dawn Friday but didn't cause any major damage after devastating Japan. (AP Photo/ Marco Garcia)

 The shore and pier at Seal Beach, Calif. are closed to the public as officials wait for a tsunami warning to pass on Friday, March 11, 2011, after a major earthquake and tsunami struck Japan. (AP Photo/Orange County Register, Bruce Chambers)

 With a tsunami warning in effect for Northern California, police patrol along San Francisco's Great Highway on Friday, March 11, 2011. Tsunami warnings were issued after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

 Due to a tsunami warning hundreds of cars line Kamehameha Highway leading into the town of Haleiwa as residents of the north shore community wait for the all clear to return home Friday, March 11, 2011 in Honolulu. An 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan and sent a tsunami wave across the Pacific. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)

 A lone man walks on Ala Moana Blvd. in downtown Honolulu Friday, March, 11, 2011, during a tsunami warning following a major earthquake in Japan. Tsunami waves swamped Hawaii beaches and brushed the U.S. western coast Friday but didn't immediately cause major damage after devastating Japan and sparking evacuations throughout the Pacific. (AP Photo/Rebecca Breyer)

 A Coast Guard helicopter flies above Pebble Beach in Crescent City, Calif. on Friday, March 11, 2011 where onlookers watch for the predicted surges of a tsunami. The first small surge was spotted at 7:38 a.m. and continued. (AP Photo/Jeff Barnard)

 With a tsunami warning in effect for Northern California, a group of people watch as a wave hits near Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Friday, March 11, 2011. The warnings came after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck Japan. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

 With a tsunami warning in effect for Northern California, a man and woman walk along a pier at Fort Point near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Friday, March 11, 2011. The warnings came after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake and a tsunami struck Japan. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

 With a tsunami warning in effect for Northern California, a group of people watch as a wave hits near Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Friday, March 11, 2011. The warnings came after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck Japan. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

 A Coast Guard helicopter flies above Pebble Beach in Crescent City, Calif. on Friday, March 11, 2011 where onlookers watch for the predicted surges of a tsunami. The first small surge was spotted at 7:38 a.m. and continued. (AP Photo/Jeff Barnard)

 A lone person walks on the beach when a surge from a tsunami from the Japanese earthquake is expected in Seaside, Ore., Friday, March, 11, 2011. Oregon's coastal residents cleared out ahead of the first waves of a tsunami to hit the U.S. mainland, but the effects in Oregon were minor. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

 Ocean waters from a tsunami surge hit the rocky coast in Seaside, Ore., Friday, March, 11, 2011. The tsunami traveled across the Pacific Ocean after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck the east coast of Japan. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)(AP Photo/Don Ryan)

 Bare beach is shown as the water recedes before a tsunami surge in Seaside, Ore., Friday, March, 11, 2011. The tsunami traveled across the Pacific Ocean after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck the east coast of Japan. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

 A lone person stands on the beach and watches as a surge from a tsunami from the Japanese earthquake hits the rocky coast in Seaside, Ore., Friday, March, 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

 Waves common for a stormy springtime day crash into the beach Friday, March 11, 2011 in Moclips, Wash. A Tsunami caused by Thursday's earthquake in Japan reached the west coast of the United States early Friday, though its impact was minimal. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

 With a tsunami warning in effect for Northern California, Larry Young surfs at Fort Point near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Friday, March 11, 2011. The tsunami warnings came after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan. Young said he would surf whether or not the tsunami would affect the waves. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)



View All Associated Press Articles
Featured White Papers





Technology Marketing Corporation

2 Trap Falls Road Suite 106, Shelton, CT 06484 USA
Ph: +1-203-852-6800, 800-243-6002

General comments: [email protected].
Comments about this site: [email protected].

STAY CURRENT YOUR WAY

© 2024 Technology Marketing Corporation. All rights reserved | Privacy Policy