Santa Cruz Damage
Friday’s tsunami also caused significant boat damage in Santa Cruz, where dozens of loose fishing boats crashed into one another and chunks of wooden docks also broke off. The water rushed out as quickly as it poured in, leaving the boats tipped over in mud. A sailboat also crashed into the harbor bridge.
“We are just getting our whole harbor wrecked,” said longtime maintenance worker Eileen Sundet. “This is just so sad.”
“I’m worried about the damage, not just to the boats but to the whole harbor infrastructure,” added Dave Emberson, an engineer and local harbor official in Santa Cruz.
Lisa Ekers, director of the Santa Cruz Port District, said preliminary estimates there put damage costs around $15 million. Of the 800 fishing and pleasure boats normally docked in the harbor, 30 to 40 have been destroyed or sunk, she said. Another 100 private vessels suffered what county spokesman Enrique Sahagun termed “significant damage.”
About 200 residents stood awestruck every time surges of water caused docks to rattle and boats to come loose and crash into each other, their voices competing with the whirring of three helicopters hovering over the harbor.
“As we stood and watched, we saw the water rise up and the boats and docks shifting,” said Robin Gallo, a retired construction worker who rode over to the harbor on his bicycle.
An evacuation order went into effect about 6 a.m. for beachfront homes near the harbor — but that didn’t stop surfers, who raced to the beach to catch the waves undeterred.
“The tides are right, the swell is good, the weather is good, the tsunami is there. We’re going out,” said William Hill, an off-duty police officer.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported in Santa Cruz. The evacuation order was lifted by 5 p.m.
San Mateo County Evacuations
In San Mateo County, authorities also evacuated all beaches and low-lying coastal areas west of Highway 1 in response to the tsunami.
Residents in the Linda Mar area of Pacifica were evacuated to the east of Adobe Drive. Those in El Granada were evacuated to the east of Coronado Street.
Evacuation shelters were established at Terra Nova High School, Oceana High School, Farallone View Elementary School and Pescadero High School.
Hundreds of cars also parked on the side of state Highway 92 during the morning rush hour as people evacuated from Half Moon Bay.
Water levels rose slightly, about 8 inches, in Half Moon Bay’s Pillar Point Harbor, with surges of water as high as 2 or 3 feet — but no damage had been reported there.
There were no reported injuries or loss of life related to the ocean surge, county officials said.
School districts in Half Moon Bay, Pacifica and the Pescadero area were all closed for the day.
San Francisco Impact
In San Francisco, police closed the Great Highway from Point Lobos at 48th Avenue to Lake Merced until late afternoon, but the city didn’t order any evacuations.
“I feel confident we will not be hurt by this,” San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee proclaimed at a morning City Hall news conference.
The bluffs above San Francisco’s Ocean Beach were dotted with roughly 30 spectators who couldn’t resist seeing the effects of the tsunami for themselves.
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. “It hit Hawaii too and didn’t seem to do anything to Hawaii.”
Nonetheless, officials advised beachgoers to stay out of the water until around 2 p.m. Saturday.
Meantime, numerous flights between Japan and San Francisco International Airport were canceled or rerouted, officials said.
Bay Area Rapid Transit officials considered canceling train service between West Oakland and Daly City as a precaution, beacuse stations in that area are underground or below sea level. But worries about the possibility of water getting inside the stations and tunnels didn’t materialize.
Experts said online tools such as Earthtools.org can help determine your home’s risk of being hit by a tsunami.
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