The National Weather Service issued tsunami warnings Friday morning for the West Coast following the magnitude 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan. And those warnings were prescient for the people who have boats in the Santa Cruz Harbor.
Definitions: Tsunami Advisory, Watch, Warning | Other Tsunami Terms | Webcams: Santa Cruz/Monterey Beaches | USGS: West Coast Advisories
A tsunami-related surge severely damaged two docks and three boats at the Pillar Point Marina in Santa Cruz. Up to 20 boats sunk in the harbor and about 100 private boats sustainted major damage, according to Santa Cruz officials. The damage is estimated to be about $2 million.
Authorities also said that the harbor's "infrastructure" also suffered significant damage. The State Fish and Game Department had four boats already removing debris from the harbor Friday afternoon.
The water started to pour into the harbor around 7:45 a.m. and put all moorings to the test. The first surge knocked one boat and two dock-like objects free. Later surges knocked dozens of boats free as they began to slam into each other.
Authorities issued a local emergency and warned residents to stay away from the coast because larger waves were likely to hit the coast later in the day, according to city officials.
Dozens of people stood on the bridge, which is the halfway point of Pillar Point Harbor, to watch the damage. A worker at the Cliff House referred to the tsunami as a "spectator sport."
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Some boats sank, others broke free in the harbor, as the surge tugged both ways. The water came in and then went back out with just as much force.
KCBS anchor Stan Bunger compared the force of the water in the harbor to the torrents running through the Grand Canyon. Bunger said the water in Santa Cruz was actually moving faster then the Grand Canyon on Thursday morning.
NBC Bay Area meteorologist Christina Loren said the damage could continue throughout the day Friday as the tsunami's after-effects continue to pour into the California coast.
