Crime & Safety
Encinitas Sees Little Effect From Tsunami Activity
A tsunami watch is in effect worldwide following Japan's 8.9 earthquake.
A tsunami advisory was in effect in the San Diego area Friday in the aftermath of a devastating magnitude-8.9 earthquake in Japan, but as of early afternoon, no major problems had been reported locally. In Encinitas, public-safety personnel noted virtually no effects from the tsunami activity.
According to local lifeguard Capt. Larry Giles, Encinitas is currently experiencing a four to five-foot tide.
“It's definitely bigger now than it was earlier,” he said.
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While Giles considered Friday's tide to be within normal range, he did say that the tsunami has altered activity at Batiquitos and San Elijo Lagoons.
“You can see it come into the lagoon and fill it up,” he said. “This happened several times throughout the day.”
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According to Giles, both lagoons have been seeing two- to three-foot surges, which he said also cause rip currents as they drain out.
With the advisory still in effect, Encinitas lifeguards are now waiting on updates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stationed in La Jolla and maintaining precautions.
Increased patrols were located at beach-access points Friday morning and afternoon asking people not to be in the water or down on the beach, Giles said. Surf P.E. classes at Moonlight Beach and Cardiff Reef were also cancelled Friday as well as a surf competition set to take place at Torrey Pines.
Waves emanating to the southeast from the epicenter of Thursday night's temblor—the fifth-largest in the world to be recorded since 1900—arrived in San Diego County shortly after 8:30 a.m., causing “significant tide fluctuations” in several areas, according to the National Weather Service. The swells caused the ocean to briefly rise 2.8 feet in La Jolla, 1.2 feet at San Diego Navy Pier and 2.6 feet in northern Imperial Beach, the NWS reported.
Meteorologists and seismologists said local quake-spawned ocean surges could last for 10-12 hours, producing strong currents potentially dangerous for surfers, swimmers, boaters and coastal structures. Irregular stretches of coastline could increase wave heights in some areas.
“There's no reason to be alarmed—just be aware,” said Maurice Luque, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. “We don't expect any inundation of water.”
About a dozen extra lifeguards were called in, just in case, and 30 police officers were patrolling the San Diego coastline. The U.S. Coast Guard prepared for any tsunami-related emergencies in the San Diego area by readying an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, the cutter Haddock and three response boats. Additionally, a crew from the federal maritime agency's local Incident Management Division was on duty to respond to any pollution that could result from vessel groundings.
The Coast Guard advised boaters to keep their vessels moored until the tsunami advisory is lifted and asked them to monitor VHF Channel 16 for any updates or additional alerts.
In the far northern reaches of the county, the waters of Oceanside Harbor rose two or three feet at one point during the morning, but caused no reported damage, police Lt. Leonard Mata said. Roughly 15 miles to the south, the ocean pulled back unusually far in the late morning, briefly expanding the width of the shoreline in the area, Solana Beach senior lifeguard Rob McPhee said.
“The average person probably wouldn't have noticed anything unusual, though,” he said.
A man visiting a San Diego beach prior to the arrival of the weak tsunami surges told KUSI he was not concerned. “Not at all—people are out, and there's been no warnings or anything, so I think it will be pretty mild,” the man, who identified himself only as Richard, told the news station. He added, however, that he would leave if hazard signs were posted.
The tsunami hit Hawaii at about 4 a.m. Friday, Pacific time, bringing waves of about seven feet. People along the coast were evacuated, but no damage was reported.
When it hit the West Coast of the United States, however, it caused significant damage and swept five sightseers out to sea in Crescent City and southern Oregon, according to news accounts. Four of the victims were rescued, but one remained unaccounted for in the early afternoon.
Some property damage also was reported in Ventura Harbor and other locations, according to the Weather Service.
The quake, believed to be the largest in Japanese history, struck the northeast reaches of the country at 9:45 p.m. Thursday Pacific time, destroying buildings 240 miles away in Tokyo and triggering a 30-foot tsunami.
The death toll in Japan is expected to rise into the thousands and 88,000 people are believed missing. The resulting tsunami flooded coastal areas, caused two major fires and swept away buildings. At least eight aftershocks have been felt as of 9 a.m. Pacific time.
According to a BBC report, the earthquake released thousands of times more energy than the Christchurch, New Zealand, quake. A worldwide tsunami watch was put into effect, but so far there have been no significant effects around the Pacific.
Aftershocks can be expected in Japan for weeks. There were several foreshocks north of Honshu in the days prior to the big one.
The tsunami hit Hawaii at about 4 a.m. Friday, Pacific time, bringing waves of about seven feet. People along the coast were evacuated. No damage was caused when it hit Taiwan and New Zealand downgraded its warning. In the United States, Oregon was the first to feel the effects in the aftermath of the quake.
Ramona Patch editor Julie Pendray and City News Service contributed to this report.
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