Crime & Safety
Bay Area Escapes Tsunami Damage, USGS Explains What Happened in Japan
Though Marin County remained relatively untouched, $2 million in damage done in Santa Cruz.
Most of the Bay Area was not directly affected today by a deadly tsunami that hit Japan Thursday night, despite concerns that residual waves crashing onto the California coastline could cause damage or injuries.
A tsunami warning was issued early this morning in the region after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake at 9:49 p.m. PST off the northeast coast of Japan led to a tsunami that killed hundreds of people.
Local damage seems to have been restricted mainly to the Santa Cruz Harbor, but precautions were taken across the Bay Area - including evacuation plans, transit cancellations and school closures in Marin - due to wave swells expected just before 8 a.m.
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The Santa Cruz Harbor has sustained an estimated $2 million in damage so far, and the director of emergency services has issued a local emergency, county spokesman Enrique Sahagun said.
Two docks and three vessels sustained major damage, and several other experienced minor damage, he said.
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About 10 boats had been pulled loose from their moors and were crashing into one another at about 9:20 a.m. near Aldo's Harbor Restaurant, general manager Alfredo Servin said.
The diner is right on the water at 616 Atlantic Ave., and Servin said he could also see a lot of debris.
Harbor officials advised the public to evacuate the area.
The county's beaches were closed this morning along with roads to the Santa Cruz Beach Flats area, including the Boardwalk and Wharf, officials said.
The closures included Beach Street at the Wharf, Riverside Avenue at Third Street, Laurel Street Extension at Third Street, and Pacific Avenue at Center Street.
The areas will reopen once the warning has been lifted, officials said.
San Mateo County officials also advised residents in the low-lying areas west of Highway 1 to move to ground east of the highway, according to the county's emergency alert system.
Evacuation shelters were established at several local high schools and an elementary school.
Elsewhere in the Bay Area, transit officials monitored the situation to see if they needed to alter service due to the tsunami warning.
BART officials initially considered suspending service through the Transbay Tube, but as of about 8:40 a.m., the agency had decided the waves were not substantial enough to warrant the closure, spokesman Linton Johnson said.
The Transbay Tube and the San Francisco and Peninsula stations are underground or below sea level, and could potentially be damaged if the waves were higher, Johnson said.
San Francisco police closed Great Highway at about 5 a.m. today from Point Lobos at 48th Avenue to Lake Merced, police Lt. Troy Dangerfield said.
The 18-46th Avenue and 23-Monterey San Francisco Municipal Railway
lines were rerouted off of Great Highway as a result, Muni officials said.
Earlier this morning, the bluffs above San Francisco's Ocean Beach were dotted with spectators who had heard about the tsunami warning and couldn't resist seeing the effects for themselves.
At about 8:30 a.m., the sun was shining, the air was warm, and the waves seemed no more dramatic than most days, several Sunset District residents said.
"This looks normal," said construction salesman Greg Miller, who lives a few blocks from the beach.
Standing on a bluff near Great Highway and Vicente Street, Miller said he wasn't worried about the tsunami warning.
"It hit Hawaii and didn't seem to do anything to Hawaii," he said.
Ben Derbidge and Garrick Bowie, both 39, agreed that the waves seemed about average.
They live across the street from the beach and said they don't feel vulnerable to tsunamis -- despite the installation of tsunami evacuation route signs in the neighborhood in recent years.
"There's one right in front of our house," Derbidge said.
Most of the region's schools remained open today, but all Pacifica schools were closed as a precaution, school district officials announced. Stinson Beach and Bolinas schools also announced closures earlier this morning.
Tsunami-impact zones, which include Stinson Beach, Muir Beach, Bolinas, and Marshall, were warned they may have to evacuate. And parking lots at both Stinson and Muir Beach were closed until further notice.
CHARITABLE DONATIONS FOR JAPAN — Bay Area charities are encouraging people to donate money to assist the response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck off the northeast coast of Japan.
The American Red Cross is on standby to assist its Japanese counterparts, and has a warehouse in nearby Malaysia that is fully stocked with supplies if its help is needed, said Caitlin Cobb of the organization's Bay Area chapter.
The Red Cross has set up a fund for Bay Area residents to donate to the disaster response effort, Cobb said.
Those wishing to donate can visit the organization's website at www.redcrossbayarea.org or call (888) 4HELPBAY.
The Salvation Army is also responding to the disaster, which most badly damaged the city of Sendai, about 250 miles from Tokyo, according to the organization.
The Salvation Army has nearly 1,000 employees working throughout Japan and is also seeking donations for the response.
To donate, visit the organization's website at www.salvationarmyusa.org, call (800) SAL-ARMY, or text the word "Quake" or "Japan" to 80888 to donate $10.
Material goods are not being requested at this point in the relief effort because of the logistical challenges of shipping and distributing the items, Salvation Army officials said.
USGS EXPLAINS WHAT HAPPENED — After the 8.9 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan Thursday night, a number of aftershocks of around 6.0 magnitude continued to rock the island. This is in addition to smaller quakes reported earlier this week.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists explain to Patch in the video at right what caused the worst earthquake in Japan in modern history, and what resources we have to prepare for the next emergency disaster.
USGS Geophysicist Steve Kirby advises Bay Area residents to visit http://neic.usgs.gov for more information on the latest earthquakes.
Information provided by Bay City News Service.
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