SAN FRANCISCO, March 11 (UPI) -- A tsunami from the Japanese earthquake reached the Northern California coast Friday morning with a 6-foot wave that wrecked boats and pushed up creeks.
The waves did not hit the southern part of the state, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The 8.9-magnitude offshore quake occurred Thursday at 9:46 p.m. PST.
Crescent City, close to the Oregon border, appeared to have suffered the most damage. Residents reached by telephone told the Times dozens of boats were "crushed" and docks destroyed, and said the town appeared to have been hit at least as hard as it was in 2006, when a tsunami caused $10 million in damage.
The under-ocean topography around Crescent City makes it susceptible to tsunamis. In 1964 the town had to be almost completely rebuilt after a wave killed 11 people.
Lucy Jones, a scientist at the California Institute of Technology, said the wave that hit Crescent City was 6 1/2 feet while one in Morro Bay was 6 feet. She said emergency officials, scientists and local residents will have to remain on guard throughout the day.
In Santa Cruz, south of San Francisco near Monterey, the wave arrived at 7:45 a.m., Enrique Sahagun, a spokesman for Santa Cruz County, said.
"The water is pushing the boats together like a major car collision on Highway 405 or another big highway," he said.
The tsunami alerts include Japan, Russia, many Asian countries and Pacific islands, including Hawaii, as well as Central and South American countries, weather officials said.
