3/11/2011 Tsunami damage in Crescent City California.
I have been up since 5AM. It has been a long day. I have photos of the damage to our harbor. One local man, a native american age 25, is presumed dead as he was swept off the Klamath River and into the Pacific Ocean.
Photos below the fold.
The morning after....
We have drilled and drilled in this community. The evacuations were flawless. Doors were knocked on, sirens went off, we had notice, downtown was evacuated.
A special thanks to two community members who created and assisted with evacuation routes and drills:
LaBecca Nessier and Chuck Hartwick. Both of these individuals were our emergency services coordinators and Red Cross coordinators. They both created the evacuation routes in some remote areas and made our community tsunami ready. Both recently passed away - LaBecca last year and Chuck just a month or so ago. Both would be very proud of the way Crescent City handled the disaster. May they both proudly rest in peace.
As for the boats, this is a slow time of year at the docks. A large vessel needs a crew as well as supplies and fuel. Many captains got their vessels out to sea and are trying to get to Eureka to dock. Many captains were out of town or unable to get a crew in time. Some of the older vessels aren't really sea worthy in large waves - especially some of the live aboard ships (some poor folks who live on the docks have boats that never leave the harbor).
The sirens got me out of bed and I took care of my duties for my employer. We had time. Only one death is reported, the young man who was taking pictures too close and was swept out to sea at the Klamath River. May he rest in peace.
Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Del Norte, Humboldt, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties.
Our harbor before the Tsunami hit:
And after it hit:
Several folks trying to save their boat:
A harbor full of partially submerged and sunken boats:
Free floating boats and pieces of dock:
The sun sets as the boats sink:
This is a fishing town, it looks as if our harbor and our crab fishing fleet are destroyed. We have environmental damage in the harbor from fuel/diesel and oil in sunken boats, the docks are gone. Some of these vessels had homeowners who lived aboard, they are now homeless. We are still under tsunami watch, more damage may be on the way.
I know this isn't as bad as Japan, but in my little town this is a major disaster. We evacuated for hours today and the livelihood of the harbor has been lost.
One family is missing a 25 year old son, presumed dead.
From Wikipedia
The topography of the sea floor surrounding Crescent City makes it particularly susceptible to tsunamis. According to researchers at Humboldt State University and the University of Southern California, the city experienced tsunami conditions 31 times between the years 1933 and 2008.[6] Although many of these incidents were barely perceptible, eleven events included wave measurements exceeding one meter, four events caused damage, and one event in particular is commonly cited as "the largest and most destructive recorded tsunami to ever strike the United States Pacific Coast
It has been such a long day.
I hope many in Japan are rescued and I hope my little town is able to rebuild our crabbing industry.
Be safe.
*all photos were taken by debbieleft