Tsunami causes $50 million in damages in California
After Japan’s powerful 9.0 earthquake struck on March 11, tsunami warnings and advisories were issued for much of the Pacific Rim. Waves wreaked havoc along the California’s pacific coast especially in Santa Cruz (115 km south of San Francisco) and in Crescent City, just south of the Oregon border.
RMS said that along the California coast, wave heights reached 3.2 ft. (1.0 m) in Santa Barbara, 6.2 ft. (1.9 m) in Port San Luis, and 6.6 ft. (2.0m) in Crescent City.
Santa Cruz’s port director Lisa Ekers told the Santa Cruz Sentinel that the tsunami caused at least $22.5 million worth of damage to the port, not including the estimated $4 million in damage to private vessels. At least 13 boats sank in the harbor.
The California Emergency Management Agency estimated that state-wide damage from the tsunami will exceed $50 million.
The following is footage from YouTube user 29thframe that shows the damage in Crescent City.
