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. 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."
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The search continues for one person missing off the coast of Northern California after a tsunami caused by a deadly earthquake in Japan swept across the Pacific Ocean.
Three people taking pictures of the surf near the mouth of the Klamath River, about 20 miles south of Crescent City, Calif., were surprised by large waves and swept into the water, said Cindy Henderson, emergency services officer for Del Norte County.
Two of the people struggled out of the surf and a male in his 20s is still missing, and is now the focus of a search and rescue operation, said a Coast Guard spokesman.
The tsunami, which has prompted warnings along the west coast and in Hawaii, was created after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake rocked Japan's eastern coast. A 30-foot tsunami hit northern Japan, engulfing buildings and cars. Japanese media reported nearly 200 people had died in the quake--the most powerful to hit the country in at least 300 years--and 700 were missing.
On the west coast, the tsunami has delivered a series of surges that began sweeping ashore by midmorning and reaching heights of seven to eight feet over about 100 miles of coastline on either side of the Oregon-California border.
Damage to the harbor in Brookings, Ore. which is just north of the California border, was significant, said city manager Gary Milliman. The harbor, which is home to several commercial fishing vessels, has lost most of its waterfront businesses and nearly three-quarters of its commercial moorage. "It's gone, out to sea," said Milliman.
Several fishermen went to sea to ride out the tsunami. Of those that didn't, Milliman said seven boats were swept to sea and their whereabouts unknown, seven sank at their moorings and nearly two dozen are adrift and damaged in the harbor.
Commercial and sport fishing are big contributors to the Brookings economy, said Milliman. The city, which is home to about 6,000, sits on a bluff about 80 feet above the harbor and suffered no damage, said Milliman.
In Crescent City, about 25 miles south of Brookings, the surge peaked at 8.1 feet, according to Del Norte County's Henderson.
Each surge is preceded by a rapid decrease in water level as the approaching wall of water at sea pulls water away from the shore only to deliver it back in a surge that is both higher and greater in volume.
The powerful draw drained virtually all the water form the Crescent City Harbor, said Henderson, leaving boats sitting on the bottom and then refloating them minutes later in a crashing jumble.
"We've got boats on top of boats down there," said Henderson. It's incorrect to say any of the craft sank because the water keeps going away, she said.
Henderson said most of the docks and about 35 boats have been damaged.
The shallow and open mouth of Crescent City Harbor makes it susceptible to tidal surges. The harbor even experience some tsunami affect from last year's Chilean earthquake, she said.
He estimated there were between 11 and 14 vessels outside the harbor waiting for calm. The nearest ports that could service the vessels are Eureka, Calif, about 80 miles south, or Gold Beach, Ore., 50 miles to the north.
Further north, two people watching the surf near Pistol River, Ore., about 50 miles north of Crescent City, were rescued from a tsunami surge estimated to be about six feet.
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Tsunami flyover, Crescent City, Calif.by registerguard28,256 views
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