Tsunami Advisory triggers local responses

Update: The Tsunami Advisory issued last night has been CANCELLED, effective at 10:20 AM PDT this morning (July 30). No tsunami danger presently exists for this area.

Previous Coverage:

The Oregon Coast remained under a Tsunami Advisory Wednesday morning, July 30, following an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia Tuesday, July 29.

The Oregon Coast was placed under a tsunami watch, later downgraded to a tsunami advisory, causing officials to urge caution for beach goers and those living in coastal communities.

One-to-three-foot waves were predicted along portions of the Oregon Coast due to the tsunami.

Lincoln City Police Sgt. Erik Anderson said as of 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 30, the city was still under a Tsunami Advisory.

“Just because of the possibility of delayed wave action, so we are still advising people to avoid going down to the beach until the advisory is lifted,” he said. “We haven’t closed any beaches yet.”

Anderson said as of early Wednesday morning, there had been no reports in Lincoln City of any damage caused by the tsunami wave action.

Despite the tsunami watch and tsunami advisory, Anderson said LCPD had reports of people going to the beaches.

“There were some folks who went down there around midnight to watch for waves coming in,” he said. “We can only give people the best advise that we can, what they do with it as adults is there decision.”

Experts have warned the waves generated by tsunamis can be much more dangerous than regular ocean wave action.

“The tsunami waves are absolutely more dangers,” Anderson said. “If a tsunami were to make landfall, there would be a significant amount of water that could push up inland.”

Anderson said the LCPD is ready for any significant tsunami action, and the city continues to monitor the tsunami warning systems.

“We have the vehicles fueled up,” he said. “The administration is coordinating with local, county and state agencies and our city emergency coordinator. She will make any media release today. We’ll work with her and be ready for the next one.”

Oregon Department of Emergency Management Communications Representative Erin Ziysett said her agency would be holding an 8 a.m. briefing concerning the actions taken following the tsunami watch and tsunami advisory.

RESOURCE

For more information about earthquake and tsunami preparedness, visit Tsunami Safety at www.weather.gov/safety/tsunami