West Coast Harbors Severely Damaged by Tsunami
The rising death toll and the destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan last week are beyond comprehension. It is also hard to fathom how the tsunami caused so much damage to several harbors along the California coast line many thousands of miles away from the epicenter.
As reported today in the San Francisco Chronicle, wave damaged the Santa Cruz harbor, causing an estimated $17 million in damage. However, the damage was most pronounced in Crescent City, which is California's most active commercial fishing port north of Monterey. (Another Tsunami Jars Crescent City's Psyche, Economy, San Francisco Chronicle, March 13, 2011.)
At least 17 boats sank as a result of the tsunami, the Coast Guard reported Saturday, and nearly all of the harbor's floating docks were destroyed. A film of gasoline covered the water among the boats that remained in the harbor, many of them visibly damaged. Damage totals have not yet been assessed. (Id.)
