Crescent City, California, braces for Tsunami waves up to 5 feet
Crescent City, a fishing village in far Northern California, is expected to experience the worst impact from the incoming tsunami generated by the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
The town of 6,700, located 25 miles south of the Oregon border, sounded its warning sirens Tuesday evening ahead of the expected arrival of waves just before midnight. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that tsunami waves could reach heights of up to five feet, with the greatest risk concentrated along the beach and harbor areas, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
“Crescent City is very unique in that very, very rarely is that first wave the biggest,” said Ryan Aylward, warning coordination meteorologist for NWS Eureka. “The largest waves are often multiple waves after.”
Officials are particularly concerned about the threat continuing into early morning high tide, potentially inundating the lowest-lying areas of the city.
The Crescent City Harbor District directed roughly 100 docked boats to leave for deeper waters, where they would be safer. “The captains are all leaving in parade fashion, one vessel after another,” said Harbor District Lieutenant Justin Hanks.
Crescent City is especially vulnerable to tsunamis due to the Mendocino Fracture Zone, an underwater ridge off the coast that funnels tsunamis into deeper water, increasing their speed and impact. The city has endured dozens of tsunamis in the past century, including one in 2011 that caused waves over eight feet high, destroying docks and sinking boats.
While this tsunami is not expected to be as devastating as the infamous 1964 event that flooded multiple city blocks, officials are urging residents to remain away from beaches, river mouths, and low-lying areas.
City Manager Eric Weir confirmed that first responders are “out and about” and that, aside from the city-owned Lighthouse Cove RV Park, most residential areas are safe.
The city’s rebuilt harbor is now designated the first “tsunami-resistant port” on the West Coast, a measure taken after the destruction of 2011.
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