Local agencies jump into action

When the magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Chile Saturday morning spawned a Pacific Ocean tsunami, the Coast Guard Station Chetco River went on alert, ready to respond to whatever was headed toward the Brookings- Harbor coast, Petty Officer Scott Harrison said.

The Coast Guard’s two rigid-hull inflatable “small boats” were transport by trailer to higher ground at the Harbor Fire Department on Benham Lane in Harbor – in case the anticipated tsunami turned out to be larger than expected.

“That way we still have resources, just in case,” Harrison said.

Units stationed at the fire department during a tsunami would serve as liaisons with FEMA, and respond as needed in the area.

Saturday’s  tsunami advisory sent the Coast Guard, who’s motto is “Semper Paratus” (always ready), into action.

The Coast Guard uses the Unites States Geological Services and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration first to confirm basic data, then contacts its chain of command, including Group North Bend.

After moving the small boats to Harbor Fire, the Coast Guard determined that no further action was needed at that time, Harrison said.

In the end, the resulting tsunami was barely noticeable in the ocean already heavy with rough seas.

One member of the Coast Guard was keeping an eye on the river when the tsunami arrived at Brookings Harbor.

“He observed that the river was flowing, then just stopped for a moment, then started flowing again,” Harrison said.

At the time the river was running at about 8,000 cubic feet per second, about three times its usual flow, because of recent rain, according to the USGS Web site.

In the case of a tsunami alert or warning, which are issued when the threat is higher, the Coast Guard would have sent both of its larger motor lifeboats out to sea, west of Brookings Harbor, to where the ocean depth is at least 100 fathoms (600 feet).

The deep water protects the Coast Guard’s main boats from damage and allows them to respond to wherever they are needed, Harrison said.

Also, under a tsunami alert or warning, Coast Guard members would have helped local officials clear the beaches and port facility, Harrison said.

On Saturday, the number of people who arrived at the beaches to watch for the predicted tsunami was worrisome, Harrison said.

The closest safe place for spectators is the top of the hill near where Lower Harbor Road and Benham Lane meet, he said.

In the case of a major tsunami  warning the Coast Guard has more extensive plans, including an option to split the small boats, one in Brookings, and the other in Harbor, Harrison said.

The Coast Guard’s housing area in Brookings has the facilities to act as a secondary emergency communications station in tandem with the Harbor crew if a tsunami threatened or destroyed the main Coast Guard station at the port, he said.

If port facilities at Brookings-Harbor are too damaged for the motor lifeboats to return, the boats can travel as far as Reedsport to find safe haven.

Curry County’s coastline will continue to face the threat of tsunamis similar to those created by Chile’s earthquake, the 1964 Alaska temblor that devastated nearby Crescent City, Calif., or those that may be spawned in Hawaii, Japan, or China.

Closer to home, the Cascadia Subduction Zone poses a more immediate threat. When and if an quake happens there, the Coast Guard, Harrison said, is always ready to respond.