MendoCoastCurrent, March 11, 2011
Awakened this morning to a tsunami warning phone call on the landline from Sargent Barney warning of an impending tsunami to occur in just over half an hour at 7:23 a.m. He continued that it was due to a 9.0 earthquake in Japan hours earlier. Our coastal community is urgently called to prepare for a tsunami. At risk situations are at land elevations of 150 ft and below, especially low lying areas at & near river mouths here on the coast of northern California. The reverse-911 tsunami warning phone call suggested everyone go to higher ground immediately and it was 6:55am.
First action was to call a close neighbor without a land line suggesting we meet at our highest ground probably between 250-300 feet. Packing stuff I needed, making a pot of coffee, I am writing this post right now and it’s 9:17am.
I packed my car, went to highest ground here as suggested. Around 9am, a friend called to say the tsunami had been downgraded. The tsunami has passed (or so I believe right now). It was an excellent exercise.
Realized long after the early morning reverse-911 warning that the tsunami sirens were not sounded here on the coast.
A friend mentioned that a tsunami drill had been scheduled for March 11, not sure of the time.
Redheaded Blackbelt also has tsunami updates for Humboldt county ~ http://bit.ly/hspXcz
10:20 am: Here’s the NOAA Tsunami report ~
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA 1020 AM PST FRI MAR 11 2011 REDWOOD COAST-MENDOCINO COAST- 1020 AM PST FRI MAR 11 2011 ...A TSUNAMI WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR DEL NORTE...HUMBOLDT AND MENDOCINO COUNTIES COASTAL AREAS... EARTHQUAKE DATA... PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE 8.9. LOCATION 38.2 NORTH 142.5 EAST. NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU JAPAN. TIME 2146 PST MAR 10 2011. A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED AND HAS CAUSE DAMAGED ALONG THE DEL NORTE COUNTY AND DAMAGE ALONG THE HUMBOLDT AND MENDOCINO COASTS IS STILL EXPECTED. PERSONS AT THE COAST SHOULD BE ALERT TO INSTRUCTIONS FROM LOCAL EMERGENCY OFFICIALS. DAMAGING WAVES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED ACROSS HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. DAMAGING WAVES HAVE ARRIVED AT CRESCENT CITY HARBOR WHERE ALL DOCKS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED. WAVES HAVE BROKEN OVER THE SPIT AT STONE LAGOON. A 3 FOOT WAVE HAS BEEN REPORTED IN HUMBOLDT BAY. A 2-4 FOOT FLOOD WAVE WAS REPORTED MOVING UP THE MAD RIVER AT 8:45 AM PST. DAMAGING WAVES WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY GAUGE LOCATION TIME AMPLITUDE CRESCENT CITY CA 844 AM 8.1FT NORTH SPIT HUMBOLDT 830 AM 3.1FT ARENA COVE 917 AM 5.3FT REMEMBER...DONT BE FOOLED...TSUNAMI WAVES CAN SEEM STOP FOR LONG PERIODS AND THEN BEGIN AGAIN. WAIT FOR THE OFFICIAL ALL CLEAR TO RETURN TO THREATENED AREAS. IN DEL NORTE COUNTY...PEOPLE ARE ORDERED TO EVACUATE TO ABOVE 9TH STREET. SHELTER LOCATIONS INCLUDE SMITH RIVER ELEMENTARY...DEL NORTE HIGH SCHOOL AND YUROK TRIBAL OFFICE IN KLAMATH. IN HUMBOLDT AND MENDOCINO COUNTIES...PEOPLE ARE ADVISED TO STAY OFF BEACHES...NOT TRAVEL BY WATERCRAFT AND EVACUATE LOW LYING COASTAL AREAS IMMEDIATELY UNTIL ADVISED THAT IT IS SAFE TO RETURN. PEOPLE SHOULD STAY CLEAR OF LOW LYING AREAS ALONG COASTAL RIVERS AS TSUNAMI WAVES CAN TRAVEL UP FROM THE MOUTH OF COASTAL RIVERS. BULLETINS WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT TO KEEP YOU INFORMED OF THE PROGRESS OF THIS EVENT. IF AVAILABLE... REFER TO THE INTERNET SITE HTTP://TSUNAMI.GOV FOR MORE INFORMATION. DUE TO RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY...LISTENERS ARE URGED TO TUNE TO LOCAL EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM MEDIA FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ISSUED BY LOCAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AUTHORITIES. THEY WILL PROVIDE DETAILS ON THE EVACUATION OF LOW-LYING AREAS...IF NECESSARY...AND WHEN IT IS SAFE TO RETURN AFTER THE TSUNAMI HAS PASSED. ****************************************
It’s 4:44 pm March 11, 2011: Receive the reverse-911 phone call ‘canceling the tsunami warning’ on the coast.
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4:50pm March 11, 2011: Governor Brown “has ordered San Mateo, Del Norte, Humboldt and Santa Cruz counties to utilize state aid in handling local emergencies, and repairing “damage to ports, harbors and infrastructure” caused by the tsunami. ~ http://bit.ly/fQxMIl
March 15, 2011: Mendocino Town Seeks Aid for $4M Tsunami Damage ~ http://bit.ly/gWy090
Videos of today’s Japanese tsunami and the 8.9 earthquake ~
Video taken near Crescent City, CA morning of March 11, 2011 ~
[...] The Mendo Coast Current blog is covering the tsunami’s effect on northern California. [...]