California harbors damaged by tsunami to get federal aid, Obama declares

President Obama has made federal disaster aid available to California communities that suffered damage in the March tsunami.

The tsunami caused an estimated $50 million damage, with the harbors in Santa Cruz and Crescent City being hardest hit.

In Santa Barbara, fierce waves turned the harbor into a tidal pool, sweeping away a barge that was used for the city's commercial fishing operation and nearly destroying a 200-ton crane barge that became unmoored in the tumult. In Ventura, a city sailing dock broke off and at least one boat was lost at sea, authorities said. In Morro Bay, a dock came loose in the waves.

California has already declared a disaster in several coastal counties, and the federal aid would come on top of that.

"Federal funding is available to the state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the tsunami wave surge in Del Norte and Santa Cruz counties," the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a statement.

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-- Shelby Grad

Photo: Fishing boats crash into one another last month in the boat basin at Crescent City, Calif. as one of a series of tsunami surges slams into the harbor, breaking up docks and tearing loose boats. Credit: Jeff Barnard / Associated Press

Comments

[The Wise]

Oh thank goodness!! What was it, like 5 boats and yacht? Get out of here with this. An island practically cracks in half in Japan, and people are crying over here about some "boats"? Amazing.

[tj]

What multiplier did you use to get to $50M? The free ride has to end sometime, come up with a more realistic estimate.

[CECdaughter]

Research before you post hurtful and hateful things that are patently untrue.

The Crescent City Harbor was destroyed. This was a working harbor - very few pleasure crafts - nearly all fishing boats. Next time you eat crab - chances are it used to come from boats based in Crescent City. It's a hardworking town with only a few major employers - and fishing was a big one.

The residents care about the situation in Japan, but they are also cognizant of their own reality and that is that without a harbor, there's no place to put their fishing boats, thus no way to provide for their families.

You call them "boats" - the residents of Crescent City call them jobs.

[tr]

It's definitely a shame about Crescent City. It's such a great little town, particularly as a base to explore the surrounding redwoods. Hopefully tourism can keep them afloat, no pun intended.