Japan tsunami wreaks millions of dollars damage on Californian harbours, US west coast
- Four swept out to sea in California
- One man feared dead as Coast Guard suspend search
- Crescent City harbour 'pretty much completely destroyed'
- U.S. government is taking the situation 'very seriously'
A massive clean-up was underway today after a tsunami triggered by yesterday's Japan earthquake caused millions of dollars worth of damage along America's west coast.
In Crescent City, California eight-foot waves smashed boats and tore apart docks, virtually destroying the harbour.
Coast guards today resumed the desperate search for a man swept out to sea as tsunami waves battered California and Oregon.
In Hawaii, waves tore boats from their moorings and wrecked piers, but the damage was far less than scientists first feared when the tidal wave which devastated Japan began to spread across the Pacific Ocean.
Thousands were evacuated to higher ground in California and Oregon, and several people were plucked from the sea after being swept away.
Capsizing: All 35 of the boats left in Crescent City harbour sank or were damaged as eight-feet high waves battered the coast
Hawaii evacuated all low-lying areas late last night, amid fears waves could swamp the islands, but they returned to their homes earlier today.
Today the governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie said: 'All of us had that feeling that Hawaii was just the most blessed place on the face of the Earth today.'
And as some people remained on the coast surfing or taking photographs, President Barack Obama warned them authorities were still taking the danger seriously.
He said: 'There hasn't been any major damage so far, but we are taking the situation very seriously. We are telling people if you are told to evacuate, do as you are told.'
Meanwhile Ecuador declared a state of national emergency as South America prepared for the waves to hit its coast next.
Chile has upgraded its tsunami warning to alert and ordered a coastal evacuation, CNN reports. It now expects waves in its remote Easter Island territory to reach ten feet-high.
Badly hit: Boats crash into each other and sink at Crescent City, California, as a tsunami surge slams into the harbour, causing millions of dollars worth of damage
Sunk: Sailors on board a neighbouring boat watch as a sinking vessel approaches theirs in Santa Cruz harbour, California
Three tsunami waves battered Crescent City in California, one reaching a record 8.1 feet. Four men who were taking photos were swept out to sea. Three were pulled to safety, but one is still missing, feared dead.
Lieutenant Todd Vorenkamp, a Coast Guard spokesman, said: 'We hope we find the gentleman. The shoreline here is a dangerous, treacherous place on a good day, and with a tsunami warning, it's exponentially worse.'
Later in the evening, however, the Coast uard announced that it had reluctantly suspended all search and rescue operations. Hope was fading for the man's survival.
The waves caused millions of pounds worth of damage, smashing the 35 boats left in the harbour and tearing the docks apart, in scenes reminiscent of the 1964 tsunami which killed 11 people in the city.
Ted Scott, a retired mill worker, said: 'This is just devastating. I never thought I'd see this again.I watched the docks bust apart. It buckled like a graham cracker.'
Crescent City Councilwoman Kelly Schellong told Channel 10 the docks and harbour 'are pretty much completely destroyed.'
The morning after: Boats in Keehi Small Boat harbour, Honolulu, were severely damaged by the tsunami waves which struck the coast in the early hours
Damage: Piers and moorings in Hawaii's ports suffered as they were hit by tsunami waves after the Japanese earthquake
According to the Los Angeles Times, north of the harbour at Elk Creek, water lapped up to front doors of the community's cultural centre.
The Red Cross set up three shelters to help those displaced, but it is not known how many of Crescent City's 5,000 residents were evacuated. The damage to the boats and harbour is estimated to run to millions of dollars.
The docks were ripped apart in Santa Cruz too, and the surge tore boats from their moorings and swept them towards the sea.
According to emergency management officials the surge caused about $2 million in damages. Around 6,000 people were evacuated from the area.
Near Gold Beach, in Oregon, four people were swept out to sea but all were rescued.
In Hawaii, thousands of residents were evacuated from low-lying areas in Hawaii after warnings were issued at around 10pm last night, so when the waves hit the beaches were deserted.
Waves at least 11ft-high rushed ashore near Kealakekua Bay, on the west side of the Big Island, and reached the lobby of a hotel.
Clear-up operation: A man stands in a flooded parking lot in Honolulu. Waves reached seven feet in some areas, but did less damage than predicted.
Water swept over the beach in Waikiki, surging over the break wall but stopping short of the area's high-rise hotels. A dramatic rise and fall at Haleiwa Harbour, Honolulu, left fish in a parking lot.
As day break, U.S. Coast Guard helicopters flew over the islands to assess the damage. The surges had caused extensive damage to piers and boats at Keehi Small Boat Harbor near Sand Island, and canoes were destroyed.
In the U.S., hotels, buildings and homes were evacuated along the Oregon coast, where the waves first hit the American mainland. Warning sirens blared and people were told to seek higher ground.
Many beaches in Orange County were closed and surfers were told not to go in the water.
Some schools in California were shut, including the beachfront Newport Elementary School. Its playground is on the sand on a peninsula jutting out into the Pacific Ocean.
Escape: Four men stand on the beach in Honolulu as tsunami waves roll in. Scientists say no serious damage was caused, but low-lying areas were evacuated
Just the beginning? The first waves hit the deserted Waikiki shoreline in Honolulu at around 3.15am local time
But along the west coast, many people seemed unperturbed by the threat and were going about their daily lives or enjoying watching the surf from the beach.
Sam McAlmond, who lives in Gold Beach, Oregon, told ABC he had decided not to evacuate.
He said: 'This doesn't happen too often. We liked to see it if and when anything happens. We have all of our necessary equipment - fresh water and food. Filled up the tank with gas and there is an escape route.'
In California, where waves are reported to have hit at Santa Monica, surfers gathered on the beach.
Joe Adams said: ‘Now that Hawaii is safe, we are not really worried that anything will happen here, just looking forward to seeing if any big waves do come. I imagine a lot of surfers will be excited about this.’
Meanwhile countries along the coast of South America took preventative action against the tsunami, which is due to hit them tonight.
Ecuador's president Rafael Correa declared a national emergency and ordered the entire coastal region to be evacuated. He said: 'If nothing happens, then that's great, but we can't take any risks.' Ecuador's heavy crude oil pipeline operator suspended oil shipments.
Unperturbed: Surfer Mark Fontes, watches the waves at Newport Beach, California. Some surfers have defied warnings and taken to the waves
Rough seas: A boat moves out into the swirling sea at Yaquina Bay, Oregon. Sirens blared to warn residents to evacuate to higher ground, but some chose to stay behind
Watching and waiting: A group of people in San Francisco look on as a wave hits near Fort Port under the Golden Gate bridge. The effect of the tsunami has been less severe than first thought
BUSINESS AS USUAL IN CALIFORNIA
As news of the tsunami filtered into homes along the coast of California, many residents woke up to countless text messages from friends and family telling them to get to safety.
Many watched updates on the news as they were told to get to high ground and expect waves with heights of up to seven feet.
Police cars patrolled the area, closing beaches as people were warned to stay back, bracing themselves for news from Hawaii, which was the first place to be hit.
Seemingly unperturbed by the warnings, residents of Marina del Rey went about their daily duties, dog walkers, joggers, workers and tourists strolled along the beach as usual, defiantly ignoring the warnings as if this were a daily occurrence.
A Starbucks worker arrived for her shift on the beach-side franchise. It was business as usual.
LAPD officer Marian Adams said: ‘I am only here because I am on duty, I have just been posted here as a precaution, it is better to be safe than sorry.
‘We evacuated the Marina del Rey pier around 7am but people are still going on with their daily lives.
‘There is a lady over there having a personal training session. I guess she did not want to waste the $50.’
Financial attorney Linda Candler, 56, said: ‘My husband Charles and I come down here every morning for a walk and thought we would see what was going on. I’ve got my running shoes on and I am heading east quickly if a big wave comes!
‘But this type of thing happens from time to time. It doesn’t look like it will be too serious.’
As reports that Santa Barbara was experiencing stormy conditions came in, firetrucks and helicopters appeared at the coast and people were warned to stand back.
A large crowd had already gathered, watching the ocean in eager anticipation of what they expected to come, sharing what information they knew, but still no one seemed fearful of the effects the waves could have.
Erica Cook, 22, a teacher from Boston who was running along the beach, said: ‘I just came to LA yesterday on vacation. I think the whole thing has been overhyped to be honest.
'I woke up to a load of texts telling me to be careful, but I just wanted to come out for an early morning run and get on with my vacation. I don’t think there is too much to worry about.’
As the time for the apparent tsunami to hit came and went, the crowd dispersed, everyone continued with their day, some gathering in the local Cow’s End Café for their morning coffee to discuss the ‘non-event’.
It was business as usual for the coastal town.
Chile will close northern ports of Iquique and Antofagasta tonight, while Mexico shut three ports.
The country's president, Sebastian Pinera, told reporters today: 'This is a preventative alert. If there are any consequences from the earthquake and tsunamis that hit Japan, they would occur in the last hours of the day.
People on the Galapagos Islands were ordered to get themselves to higher ground and tour ships moved toward deeper water.
Colombia’s biggest port, Buenaventura, is on alert. Coastal areas of Chile’s Easter Island are also being evacuated.
In Port Orford, Oregon, city administrator Mike Murphy said the most noticeable effect of the surge was the fast-changing tide.
He said: ‘The water just receded to a fairly low level, like one of our minus tides, and then the next thing it comes back to a high tide level.
‘It's like a regular tide change, except instead of taking six hours, it takes 30 minutes - just rocking back and forth. But it's noticeable. Obviously, something's going on that's clearly not normal.'
Officials were optimistic the west coast would escape like Hawaii.
Brian Shiro of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center explained when the tsunami reached the west coast, it would have lost power because of friction with the ocean bed.
But he warned:'Some places in California will see six feet in some cases nine feet. This could certainly be a bad day for people on the beach. If you have a house right on the water... it could be flooded.'
The waves were expected to hit Los Angeles at 8:30am local time, but another, bigger wave is expected two hours later when the tide is higher, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
In Alaska, the tsunami caused a wave of five feet at Shemya in the Aleutian Islands, 1,200 miles south west of Anchorage.
Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii, defended the decision to evacuate the islands.
He said: 'We called this right. This evacuation was necessary,There's absolutely no question, this was the right thing to do.'
He said moorings and piers may have suffered in Kahului Harbour.
Last night residents in Hawaii flocked to higher ground after authorities ordered an evacuation of low-lying areas at around 9.30pm local time.
Hotels in Waikiki were almost at full capacity as visitors flocked in for the Honolulu festival. Tourism chiefs ordered a vertical evacuation, with guests moved to higher floors.
Residents were moved via shuttle buses to shelters in schools on higher ground. Panic-buying surged as residents flocked to petrol stations and supermarkets to stock up.
Petrol had run out at some stations by 11pm, with prices soaring on remaining stocks.
Sabrina Skiles, who spent the night at her husband's office in downtown Kahului in Maui, said: 'I've been up all night and I'm supposed to go to work today. I'm waiting to see if I'll be working and if I can get to work.
'They're saying the worst is over right now but we keep hearing reports saying 'don't go anywhere. You don't want to go too soon.'
The Department of Education closed all public schools today, and all Hawaii county offices including parks and recreational facilities are also closed.
President Obama, who was born in Hawaii and spent part of his childhood there, said he has asked top officials to 'closely monitor' the situation there and across other Pacific islands.
He said: 'We are asking all our citizens in the affected region to listen to their state and local officials as I have instructed FEMA to be ready to assist Hawaii and the rest of the U.S. states and territories that could be affected.'
He also sent his 'deepest condolences' to the people of Japan, and declared the U.S. is ready to offer the country aid because of the 'unshakeable' bond between the two nations.
He said: 'The United States stands ready to help the Japanese people in this time of great trial.
'The friendship and alliance between our two nations is unshakeable, and only strengthens our resolve to stand with the people of Japan as they overcome this tragedy.'
Evacuated: A woman stands on the deserted beach at Waikiki and watches as the first wave hits the shore
Evacuation: Laura Pickle and her son Marcel escape to higher ground in the Koolau mountains this morning
The United States' National Weather Service (NOAA) issued the tsunami warning earlier today following Japan's devastating earthquake.
The warnings also include Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Central and South America. The coast of North America is not included in the warning.
Last night, a 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck Hawaii as aftershocks and tremors from the quake that hit Japan reverberated around the world.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damages from the quake that hit the Big Island about 30 miles southeast of Hilo just before 11 pm yesterday (0900 GMT Friday).
People stocked up on vital supplies such as food and water while drivers filled their cars with petrol in case they needed to out-run the waves in their cars, as happened in Japan.
Rush: Residents in Hawaii hit the supermarkets in panic buying sprees as they prepare for the imminent tsunami waves caused by a massive earthquake off the coast of Japan this morning
TSUNAMI WARNINGS AROUND THE PACIFIC RIM
- Hawaii
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- Alaska
- Canada
- Mexico
- South America
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Taiwan
- Papua New Guinea
Tensions mounted at gas stations as long lines formed with drivers desperate to fill up in time.
Petrol had run out at the Hawaii Kai Chevron gas station by 11pm, aside from premium which was selling at $4.09 a gallon.
Angry drivers honked at each other and yelled as others tried to push in. Chris Veatch told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser: 'I'm just worried about a gas situation. If we get hit by a 12-footer it would wipe this place out and the 76 station up the road, too.'
Tourists were urged to follow residents and evacuate to higher ground. Almost all of Waikiki was in the evacuation zone - and it was full of tourists, there for the Honolulu festival.
Momi Akimseu, Hawaii Tourism Authority communications manager, said: 'We have 75 to 80 per cent occupancy and strong visitor arrivals from Japanese.
'Hotels are making arrangements to provide safe havens for all guests.'
A command centre was set up at the Hawaii Convention Center to arrange the evacuation of tourists.
Mike McCartney, president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii Tourism Association, said hotels across the state told guests to move to higher floors.
This graphic, issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows the height of waves from the tsunami as it travelled across the Pacific basin
On its way: The tsunami is expected to hit islands across the Pacific at these times
GUAM: Tourists 'panicked' as U.S. territory island braced for first major tsunami
Residents and foreign tourists in Guam were bracing themselves for the U.S. territory’s first major tsunami on record.
But no damage has been reported from the earthquake-spawned waves and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has now lifted a tsunami warning.
Authorities had urged people to move away from low-lying areas to at least 50ft (15 metres) above sea level and 100ft (30 metres) away from the coast.
Officials say public beaches will remain shut and will be checked for damage in the morning.
But evacuation notices for visitors and residents have now been lifted and all roads have been reopened.
Governor Eddie Calvo thanked everyone on Guam for their ‘patience’.
‘We are so blessed no tsunami affected our island,’ he told Kuam News. ‘But, our neighbours in Japan were not so fortunate.
'We coordinated evacuation and safety measures throughout the island as the real threat of a tsunami was upon us.
‘Unlike previous tsunami watches and warnings in recent history, there was a very likely possibility a tsunami would have affected the people's safety.’
Guam Airport is seeing a surge in passengers after it began to help airlines impacted by the Japanese traffic. There are 1,430 diverted and returning passengers on outbound flights to Japan.
Before the waves were expected to hit, a Homeland Security spokesman said: 'A lot of people who aren't from Guam are panicking. We've never been hit by a major tsunami.'
Guam, billed as the area 'where America's day begins', covers 212 sq miles (549 sq km) and has a population of around 175,000.
It is 10 hours ahead of GMT, the average temperature is 28C (82F) and the normal annual rainfall is around 80 inches (203cm).
The island became a U.S. territory in 1898, but Japan held it between 1941 and 1944 until it was made an unincorporated territory in 1950 and its people classed as American citizens.
He said: 'We are implementing vertical evacuation. We are in touch with all hotels and they have an evacuation process in order.'
The manager of the Waikiki Grand Hotel, just 600ft from the beach, said the hotel's generator was below the waterline.
He told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser: 'I'm worried about the generator. Fill the tubs with water. If a tsunami hits and you don't have water it could be days.
'The sad thing is that if you don't drown out there, you could die of thirst inside.'
Visitors at the hotel were packing up and preparing to leave if they had to, as police sirens and emergency warnings filled the air urging people to move above the fifth floors.
James Carso, a visitor from Phoenix, said:'We think we're safe. We'll be alright.'
One of his friends, Mike Kanuk of Santa Cruz, California, said: 'It's my first tsunami warning. I feel pretty confident that this building will stand, but it looks pretty serious.'
One resident, Fred Lau of Punchbowl drove to the Kailua Safeway to stock up. He told the Star-Advertiser: 'At first, there was no water left to sell - it was almost gone - but then a palette of water bottle packs came out, so I was able to pick up a couple.
'But now I've been in line waiting to pay for about a half-hour.'
Hosanna Folk of Pauoa Valley also drove to Safeway, buying supplies for her family. She said: 'I have a family with five kids, so I have more to be concerned about.
'I have a lot here because - who knows? - it could be a week, a month, before things go back to normal if we're hit by a tsunami. I don't want to be stuck without anything.'
Chip McCreary, a tsunami warning centre director, said tsunami waves have the potential to swamp coastal areas of all Hawaii's islands.
'What these waves look like is an elevation of sea level, where the sea level will rise above its normal level and stay high for 10 or 15 minutes before it starts to recede,' he said.
'As a result of this, in a tsunami wave, that water can flood the coast line and be a hazard to people and buildings on the coast.'
The warnings covered an area stretching the entire western coast of the United States and Canada from the Mexican border to Chignik Bay in Alaska.
In Alaska, a dozen small communities along the Aleutian Island chain were on alert.
Residents in coastal areas across the Pacific from Hawaii to Guam were ordered to evacuate to shelters and higher ground.
Leaving: Hotel guests from the Moana Surfrider hotel in Honolulu cling to their possessions after being evacuated in the early hours of the morning
A spokesman for the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management said: 'We're preparing for the worst and we're praying for the best,'
'Tsunami waves, because of their long length, they wrap around our islands very efficiently,' he said.
Readings have come in from deep ocean gauges deployed since the 2004 tsunami in Banda Acha in Japan and around Wake Island.
The Northern Mariana Islands, another U.S. territory, was also under the warning, and the Hyatt Regency in Saipan has moved guests to three highest floors of the seven-story hotel.
Hotel spokesman Luis Villagomez said the hotel had received about three tsunami warnings in the last year but no serious damage.
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