Tsunami sweeps docks away in Cresent City Ca.

[dixiegrrrrl]

Source: live abc coverage Santa Barabara station

Reported a few minutes ago that Ca. Highway Patrol reports houses damaged, all docks were swept away by tsunami in Cresent City Ca.



Read more: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/livenow?id=8007618

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edited to add: I am still looking for other confirmation of this story.

[liberal N proud]

1. K&R

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. The twitter is going nuts on this

that is the first real damage we hear.

I am so glad to face southwards.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. ah..I clean forgot to open my Twitter.

got any hashtags I should look for???

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Never mind, I opened the Google Realtime link.

Tsunami waves expected to peak at 8.2 feet in Crescent City, CA within the next 2-4 hours

35 boats crushed under pier in Crescent City.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. ok that is looking NORTH right?

The wave is coming from the NORTH.

[Gormy Cuss]

6. Crescent City is always a prime candidate for tsunami damage in CA.

It's been destroyed by tsunami in the past and there's a robust tsunami warning system in place. I stayed in a hotel on the beach and we were given a pamphlet on what to do in case of a tsunami warning. They don't play around. A large section of town is essentially at sea level and a wave could roar straight through it pretty quickly.

[hatrack]

7. They got pounded back in 1964 because of the Good Friday quake

10 or 12 people died, a good 1,500 miles from the epicenter.

[uppityperson]

8. NOAA report from Crescent City 8.1 ft.

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/getprod.php?wfo=sew&pil=TSU&sid=WCA&version=
CRESCENT CITY CA 41.7N 124.2W 1644UTC 08.1FT/02.47M

[necso]

9. I took some government supplied data (thanks to the previous poster)

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/getprod.php?wfo=sew&pil=TSU&sid=WCA&version=

and reorganized it a little bit. The data is a good representation of the pronounced differences in effect a tsunami can have (specifically, in areas not that far separated in terms of distance on the tsunami "line" of travel, and considering the distance of travel); and even if these numbers are not 100% accurate (and thus are later corrected), a substantial difference (multiplier effect) will likely remain.

CRESCENT CITY CA 8.1FT/02.47M (not in table but reported)
PORT SAN LUIS CA 6.3FT/01.93M
POINT REYES CA 4.4FT/01.35M
NORTH SPIT CA 3.1FT/00.95M
SANTA MONICA CA 2.4FT/00.74M
SANTA BARBARA CA 2.2FT/00.67M
LOS ANGELES CA 1.1FT/00.32M
LA JOLLA CA 1.0FT/00.31M
SAN DIEGO CA 0.7FT/00.21M

PORT ORFORD OR 6.1FT/01.85M

PORT ANGELES WA 1.9FT/00.59M

WINTER HARBOUR BC 1.7FT/00.53M

ADAK AK 3.4FT/01.05M
NIKOLSKI AK 2.7FT/00.82M
SAND POINT AK 1.6FT/00.49M
KING COVE AK 1.6FT/00.48M
SITKA AK 1.0FT/00.32M
CRAIG AK 0.8FT/00.24M
ELFIN COVE AK 0.5FT/00.16M
KODIAK AK 0.5FT/00.15M

My guess is that some of this difference in effect is a result of offshore topography. (Onshore topography would dictate which areas "inland" are effected.) And such data is invaluable to local communities (and their counties, states) in planning, issuing alerts, posting warnings -- and in saving lives (of the receptive) and preventing property and personal damage.

(The question also arises whether there was some pronounced directionality of effect in the tsunami itself, ignoring the dampening or amplifying effects of topography.)

[Peace Patriot]

10. Thanks for your data organization! nt

[necso]

12. Post 11 and

this thread http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x621401

have some cool images.

[somone]

11. It was a clear shot across the ocean

This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Global bathymetry map image released on March 11, 2011 shows features of the ocean floor depth (or bathymetry). The image shows the entire Western Pacific basin. Notice how abruptly the Japanese islands rise out of the ocean. Other coastal Asian areas have much more gradual slopes. The islands and mountain ranges throughout the ocean, visible in this imagery, also affect the tsunami travel time and speed. In the open ocean, tsunamis can travel at speeds up to 500 mph.


This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) image released on March 11, 2011 shows model runs from the Center for Tsunami Research at the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory showing the expected wave heights of the tsunami as it travels across the Pacific basin. The largest wave heights are expected near the earthquake epicenter off Japan. The wave will decrease in height as it travels across the deep Pacific but grow taller as it nears coastal areas. In general, as the energy of the wave decreases with distance, the near shore heights will also decrease.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/03/massive_earthquake_hits_japan.html