A tsunami from the devastating Japan earthquake hit the coast of California on Friday morning, causing significant damage in Crescent City, Santa Cruz and other parts of Northern California. There were no reports of major damage or flooding in Southern California.
Crescent City, site of a deadly tsunami four decades ago, appears to be particularly hard hit.
One person is missing in the Klamath River and one of the docks and several boats at the Santa Cruz harbor were destroyed today as tsunami waves generated from a powerful earthquake in Japan hit Northern California and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of people from the coast, according to the Associated Press.
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a man who was swept out to sea by powerful waves, according to news reports. Officials say the man was taking photos of the tsunami with two friends near the mouth of the Klamath River in Del Norte County.
At 11:15 a.m., a large surge came through the Santa Cruz harbor and sent dozens of boats, some as big as 40-feet long, turning onto their sides and slamming into other boats that were tied up at nearby slips.
Several boats sank and people in the crowd gasped loudly and yelled as the boats' masts hit the water. There were also reports of significant damage in the harbor in Crescent City, where 35 boats were crushed. The majority of the damage in Santa Cruz has been centralized at one of the docks known as the U dock, which was destroyed in spectacular fashion, according to news report.
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