2C THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015 The tsunami that changed Cannon Beach By ELAINE TRUCKE For The Daily Astorian W ith the recent article in The New Yorker making the rounds, I thought this would be a good time to look back on what hap- pened in 1964. Some of you are probably saying, “OK, I get it, tsunamis. The coast is a danger- ous place.” Insert eye roll here, but the thing is a tsunami is a real possibility. And for some of us a constant threat in the back of our mind. Could what happen in 1964 be worse? Could Can- non Beach handle it? On March 27, 1964 a megathrust quake (sometimes referred to as the Good Friday earthquake) shook Anchorage, Alaska, to its core. The term “megathrust” refers to a quake that occurs when one tectonic plate is forced under another, otherwise known as subduction. This type of quake can exceed 9.0 in magnitude; the Good Friday quake was a 9.2. Trem- ors lasted for four minutes and set into motion a tsunami that swept along the North American shoreline. Many coastal communities were unaware of the strength of such a quake, or of the tsunami heading their way. ‘Big bet’ In the early morning hours of March 27 a group of six poker players had gathered at Frank Hammond’s house. A “big bet” of $15 was on the table when the phone rang. Bill Steidel, one of the poker players, recalls, “The phone rang and one of the men got up and answered the phone. ‘They said there’s a tidal wave coming,’ he said. We all ignored it, because we heard that every winter, that there were some big waves coming. It wasn’t unusu- al to hear that.” Then the second call came. The wave had hit. As Steidel re- calls in his 1995 Cannon Beach History Center oral history interview, “We said to Ham- mond, ‘Where are you going?’ Hammond says, ‘The last wave broke over, you know that tree in my driveway — the last wave broke over the top of that tree.’” The tree was 30 feet tall. Steidel describes the scene as a “Laurel and Hardy picture.” Every man ran for the door at the same time. Then they scram- bled into their cars and made for their families as quickly as they could. Rebuffed, at first The news of the quake in Alaska and tales of an ap- proaching tsunami was rebuffed by some, at least at first. The community of Cannon Beach was prepared for any number of northern squalls, floods, and fires, but this was something dif- ferent, something unexpected. Bridget Snow and her hus- band had a unique view from one of the bluffs in Cannon Beach. As they scanned the sea they noticed the wave approach- ing, curling to shore and rising in height about a foot a second, about 10 feet in all. By the time the first wave made it to shore it was a 30-foot wall of water. Elsewhere in Cannon Beach — Margaret Sroufe glanced out her window and was shocked to see dancing blue and green orbs right before the power went out. Intrigued, she made for her porch. Sroufe and her husband had an unprecedented view of the damage caused by the tsuna- mi from their home on west side of Elm Street. “There was a little duplex down the street, and the duplex started to move,” Sroufe remembers. “It hit the telephone pole, and went around the tele- phone pole, and ended way back up in the pasture. And the bridge lifted up and moved on back into the pasture. It came right up to the edge of our driveway. We just stood there with our arms around each other watching the water come up.” Bridge was gone Those who were heading for high ground via the Ecola Creek Bridge were shocked to find that it was gone. Steidel was the first to arrive. “The bridge was gone,” he said, “The water was all around me, and then a house went by. The house went over into the meadow and settled down.” The tsunami only picked up speed as it moved further down the coastline. In Crescent City, Calif., it moved with such strength and velocity that when hitting the shore, seagulls were caught in midair by the rushing 30-foot — or more — waves. Witnesses have referred to these waves as “walls of water.” Cannon Beach History Center/Submitted Photo A bridge is out during the 1964 tsunami. ? C 9-1-WHAT? THE BEST OF THE WORST CALLS TO ASTORIA 911 DISPATCH FREE PUBLISHED THE FIRST FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH January 2015 ess Chronicling the Joy of Busin HISTORIC EK HE WE PHOTO OF T Cannon Beach History Center/Submitted Photo Surveying damage after the 1964 tsunami. The north end of Cannon Beach was the hardest hit by the ’64 tsunami. Homes were torn from foundations or flooded. In addition, the Ecola Creek Bridge was completely destroyed leav- ing behind only skeletal pieces of wood hanging from the road on either side. Tsunami debris was distributed throughout the town. Though Cannon Beach did not experience the fatalities or devastation of other coastal communities, it was a shocking occurrence that changed how those who live at the coast react to a tsunami. The 1964 tsunami wasn’t the first, nor will it be the last time that the coast is hit by a tsuna- mi. The threat of a tsunami has always been a threat. There is extensive archaeological evi- dence and geological records that indicate past severe seismic events that have caused devasta- tion along the entire west coast. Native American oral traditions of the region further confirm that such events have impacted ancient populations in the past. Cascadia Subduction Zone Archaeological work done in areas around Port Townsend, various parts of Oregon and Northern California have shown that the Cascadia Subduction Zone has been and will be re- sponsible for earthquakes and tsunamis. One such event oc- curred on Jan. 26, 1700. How can we be so accurate on this date? The tsunami of 1700 was so devastating that it reached the shore of Japan and the time and date were recorded there. In addition to the records in Japan, Taylor remain NEWS County makes a splash dendrochronology and Native American oral traditions further substantiate a devastating tsuna- mi in 1700. Nearly every year new in- formation becomes available to the public thanks to the hard work of geologists, archaeolo- gists, and other scientists. This information does not fall on deaf ears, which is why tsunami safety and preparedness has be- come synonymous with the Or- egon Coast, specifically Cannon Beach. Evacuation plans Cannon Beach has had a strong emergency prepared- ness program for years. In fact, on April 14, 2010, The New York Times commended Cannon Beach for the city’s tsunami preparedness plans and proclaimed the town to be at the forefront with policies. Despite some of the claims in the infamous New York- er article, many hotels in the area have evacuation plans outlined for guests, signs throughout town direct in- alling all disaffected locals, transplanted Portland hipsters and dreadlocked flyover state dudes looking to find their art in As- toria! We have the ideal title for your work, courtesy of emergency dispatch: “A Boy Pushed a Safeway Cart Into the Columbia River.” You’re welcome. Also, some folks were improperly selling steaks. And three goats were at large. Follow reporter Kyle Spurr on his 9-1-What? Twitter watch, where a few of the sometimes head-scratching calls to area dispatch take center stage. The full feed is at www.twitter.com/9_1_WHAT. in the Columbia-Pacific Region striverbusinessjournal crbizjournal.com • facebook.com/coa Volume 10 • Issue 1 Now inserted into The Daily Astorian and Chinook Observer For more information call 503-325-3211 PacifIc in the pot biz page 10 NEWS Seaside Muffler and Off-Road 21 revs up its reputation page BOAT OF THE MONTH The Sadie out of South Bend, Wash. page 24 habitants to the safety of high ground, and local business- es have begun to construct tsunami and earthquake safe buildings. Education is still the No. 1 combatant against casualties related to tsunamis and earth- quakes. Safety drills, work- shops, and community forums have led to a well-educated community. Elaine Trucke is the exec- utive director of the Cannon Beach History Center and Mu- seum. Entitled stry spo allenges Inside: Indu copes with ch Shellfish farm an conditions oce nging s optimistic despite cha tlight: Cannon Beach History Center/Submitted Photo Potential earthquake sources in the Pacific Northwest. crbizjou rn a l.com