Alaska effects of Chilean tsunami minimal, witnesses say

February 27, 2010

A Web camera at the Ketchikan boat harbor caught the arrival of the tsunami surge -- less than a foot high. (Courtesy City of Ketchikan)

by Jackie Bartz
Saturday, February 27, 2010

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A devastating earthquake hit Chile Friday night, killing hundreds of Chileans and causing tsunami warnings and advisories across the West Coast -- including Alaska.

Alaska's advisory was canceled Saturday night by the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, or WCATWC.

The tsunami is making its way up the coast of Alaska Saturday evening, with waves under a foot expected to sweep through boat harbors in Sitka, Kodiak and Seward, but most Alaskans say there are no noticeable effects.

Web camera video from the Ketchikan boat harbor looks the same before and after the tsunami. Seward resident Angela Campbell took photos of the surge, but said there was nothing exciting to speak of. The WCATWC says Sitka saw a surge of about six inches.

The Coast Guard will be on standby Saturday night in case something happens, and several cities have organized response teams. But it seems like the tsunami swept up the West Coast without leaving much of a mark.

Tsunami experts called Saturday's surge the biggest tsunami scare in Alaska in more 40 years, but as it's racing up the coast it appears it's only causing a ripple.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, or PTWC, issued the advisory after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck about 200 miles southwest of Santiago, Chile.

"We've had lots of tsunamis in Alaska, but nothing from that part of the ocean that's been anywhere near this big since 1960," said WCATWC's Paul Whitmore.

Alaska's Coast Guard spent the day on high alert, ready to respond to anything.

"We have implemented our tsunami response plan, which puts our units at a heightened level of readiness," said Petty Officer 1st Class David Mosley.

The PTWC issued its highest alert, a tsunami warning, for Hawaii. But experts say the islands dodged a bullet.

"Horns are going off right now," said Anchorage resident Karen Pearson, who is visiting Hawaii this weekend. "I don't know if you can hear them, but they are going off right now."

Pearson evacuated her beachside hotel about 6 a.m. Saturday. She spent her last day of vacation waiting on a hillside with hundreds of other people.

"The ocean looks so calm right now," Pearson said. "You would never ever think that anything is going to happen, so at this point it's just kind of a waiting game."

The tsunami hit Hawaii about noon. Waves reached up to 7 feet, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.

Along the West Coast, it was the same story. The WCATWC said water surged 2 feet in parts of California. There were no injuries or damage but it did cause a slight traffic delay, closing a road at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge for about half an hour when high waves came crashing in.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the tsunami is expected to hit the Aleutian Islands starting around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. It will also make its way to Nome, where it's expected early Sunday morning.

Contact Jackie Bartz at jbartz@ktuu.com and contact Channel 2 at news_desk@ktuu.com

|

|

|