Weakened Tsunami Hits Nearby Shores, Minor Damage Reported on the Peninsula

Hundreds of residents evacuated , and early this morning, jamming the roadside along Highway 35 in anticipation of a potentially dangerous tsunami’s predicted 8:08 a.m. landfall.

Ultimately, water levels rose slightly along the coast, but nothing capable of much damage hit the coastal communities of San Mateo County.

Surges of water as high as 2 or 3 feet had been expected to arrive at the region's coastal areas, and this morning water levels in Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay. But no significant waves had come in as of 8:15 a.m., assistant harbormaster John Draper said.

San Mateo County officials had advised residents in the low-lying areas west of Highway 1 to move to ground east of the highway, according to the county's emergency alert system.

The powerful 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck late Thursday night on the northeast coast of Japan – about 3:45 p.m. their time. Hundreds were killed, and the quake and subsequent tsunami there have caused widespread destruction.

A tsunami wave, traveling at high speeds, takes several hours to cross the Pacific to reach these coasts, and experts had predicted that it would arrive here a little after 8 a.m. The tsunami watch was upgraded to a warning overnight.

That gave emergency officials several hours to alert coastal communities. A tsunami warning was issued for the California coast, , and officials ordered the full evacuation of low-lying coastal areas.

Six-foot swells remained a possibility as of 11 a.m., according to some reports, but so far only moderately large swells and some were reported along the San Mateo County coastline.

Just to the south, however, several boats in Santa Cruz Harbor had gotten loose and were crashing around in the waves this morning, the general manager of a nearby restaurant said.

About 10 boats were crashing into one another at 9:20 a.m. in the harbor near Aldo's Harbor Restaurant, said general manager Alfredo Servin. The diner is situated right on the water at 616 Atlantic Ave., and Alfredo said he could see a lot of debris in the water. Harbor officials have advised the public to evacuate the area there too.

"Do not come to the harbor to secure your vessel," read a warning on the harbor's website. "Harbor crews are working to secure the area."

Alfredo said he could see quite a few people out in the harbor, but it wasn't clear if they were emergency officials. He also said his restaurant was not open for business.

"We don't want to put people in danger," he said. "We have highway and city police advising us what to do."

The waves were reportedly much more violent in Crescent City Harbor, located farther to the north in Mendocino County. There, a city councilman told the Times-Standard that “The harbor has been destroyed. Thirty-five boats have been crushed and the harbor has major damage. Major damage.” It is reported that Gov. Jerry Brown will be asked to declare disaster areas in Humboldt, Santa Cruz and Del Norte counties.

Closer to home, the biggest disruption was probably due to the evacuation. One report claimed that hundreds of vehicles had stopped on Highway 31, also known as as Skyline Boulevard, in an attempt to avoid – and possibly get sight of – tsunami waves.

Another report claimed that similar crowds were stopped on the San Mateo Bridge, but a CHP officer told Patch this morning that there were "no unusual incidents" on the bridge this morning.

Highway 1 remains closed, however, between Capistrano and Coronado roads for the duration of the tsunami warning. Sheriff's deputies in the Redwood City region are helping to manage the coastal evacuation, according to the CHP.

All flights between SFO and Japan have been canceled until further notice, according to airport officials.

-- Staff Reports