Tsunami sweeps 5 to sea, rips out Calif. docks

Yahoo ^ | 3/11/11 | Jeff Bernard and Jaymes Song - ap

[NormsRevenge]

Crescent City, Calif. (AP) -- A tsunami swept at least five people watching the waves out to sea Friday and ripped docks out of harbors in California, spreading the destruction of a devastating Japanese earthquake to the shores of the United States.

Four people were rescued from the water in Oregon, but one man who was taking photos in Northern California was still missing Friday afternoon. Coast Guard helicopters searched for him near the mouth of the Klamath River in Del Norte County, Calif., after his two friends made it back to shore.

[NormsRevenge]

You OK?

Did we lose the party boat?

—

Damage estimates in Crescent City were in the millions, and more boats and docks were hit in Santa Cruz on California’s central coast. Surges are expected throughout the afternoon.

[Mr. Mojo]

Ah, the ole “let’s head down to the beach and check out the rad tsunami!!” routine.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

One then gets to WAVE bye-bye!

[gov_bean_ counter]

Sounds like a “hold my joint” moment...

[blueplum]

another gentleman reported dead from natural causes on his commercial boat in the harbor; speculation he was preparing to get boat out and suffered a heart attack

[jdub]

you would have thought someone would have been prepared to video the tsunami

[Gena Bukin]

Ah, the ole “let’s head down to the beach and check out the rad tsunami!!” routine.

Yep. I was driving to work this morning listening to the radio DJ implore people to avoid the beaches while passing cars with surfboards sticking out of their trunks heading due west.

[mstar]

Just so sorry for the families that have lost love ones. Will keep them in prayer.

[NormsRevenge]

There are web cams all over the place these days and machines just sucking up video and pics.. if they survived.

I’ll wait for the DvD.

What a mess..

[Rational Thought]

Reportedly missing from the mouth of the Klamath River. Being extremely familiar with that location, I have to say, you'd have to be real stupid being there during a Tsunami warning.

[Eye of Unk]

With the massive availability of internet video its no wonder many people are just sitting there waiting to get their two seconds of fame.

Reminds me of the people on top of the tower in LA in the movie “Independence Day”.

Unfortunately they are gone.

[NormsRevenge]

Amen to that.

It will be awhile, if ever for some, before they find out what happened to some family members and friends.

Prayers Bump

[240B]

Look at it! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, man! Let me go out there and let me get one wave, just one wave before you take me in. I mean, come on man, where I am I gonna go? Cliffs on both sides! I'm not gonna paddle my way to New Zealand! Come on, compadre. Come on!

Point Break is a great movie...one of my all time favorites

[Graybeard58]

but one man who was taking photos in Northern California was still missing Friday afternoon.

While traveling eastward through western Nebraska a few years ago there were tornado warnings for that area. Ahead of me on the interstate I saw a car pulled over and a man standing beside it with a camera taking pictures toward an open field, as I got close enough I saw what he was shooting, not one, not two but three tornados moving towrd the interstate, I also noted that his car had California plates.

I've often wondered what happened to that guy and lo and behold here he is in this story.

[csuzieque]

Curiosity killed the cat.

[Vigilanteman]

I can never understand the mentality of people going to a dock to watch for a tsunami.

Years ago, there was an event going on in a concrete building where I was in charge. The building was designed to be tornado proof except for the windows. I asked the people to move away from the windows because a funnel cloud had been sighted nearby and we were now on tornado warning status.

A few of them did. Most of them did not. I walked between the crowd and windows repeating myself. As soon as I moved on to the next set of windows, they drifted right back to the windows. This went on for about 30 minutes until we finally got information that the funnel cloud had moved on and the tornado warning had been lifted.

I still wonder what the dumb asses thought they would have done if a tornado had actually crashed through the windows-- outrun it by moving inside of the building as I asked them to do in the first place?

I had a wife, a baby and a tot to look after at the time. Maybe it was instinct, a sense of duty or training, but now I've got to wonder why I put myself in harm's way to protect a bunch of chuckleheads who didn't have the sense to heed my warneings.

[fwdude]

I think a special Darwin Awards ceremony is in order.

[bigheadfred]

Maybe it was instinct, a sense of duty or training

Maybe the amazement from the realization you were surrounded by stupid a-holes threw you off a bit.

[Bernard Marx]

I also noted that his car had California plates.

Yes, all us Californians are congenital idiots. I've never heard of a single case of similar idiocy involving anyone but Californians -- no matter which state they moved to California from.