Charting the Tsunami a Day After the Earthquake in Japan; USS Ronald Reagan Diverts to Bring Aid

It may be hard to “see” the tsunami here in San Diego. Staring out into the waves it is difficult to detect differences from our day-to-day surf. Just in time to help us out, Scripps Institute of Oceanography’s Coastal Data Information Program released very visual data this afternoon that charts the tsunami’s initial effect on the San Diego coast.

Preliminary analysis of data collected off Scripps Pier shows the tsunami arriving today around 8:50 a.m. with a trough-to-crest height of over 40 cm and a period of 36 minutes.

The swells caused the ocean to briefly rise 2.8 feet in La Jolla, 1.2 feet at San Diego Navy Pier and 2.6 feet in Imperial Beach, according to the National Weather Service.

As of early afternoon, no major problems had been reported locally. About a dozen extra San Diego lifeguards and 30 police officers are patrolling the San Diego coastlines today.

“There’s no reason to be alarmed, just be aware,” said Maurice Luque, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. “We don’t expect any inundation of water.”

Data collected by Scripps’s Coastal Data Information Program is shared with the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center and other institutes to help with research efforts.

In Coronado, the Navy reported that the USS Ronald Reagan was diverted to the northern coast of Japan to provide aid.

The country requested U.S. military assistance, said Cmdr. Greg Hicks of the U.S. Third Fleet in San Diego.

“Obviously, the Reagan has a huge amount of capability there from helicopter lift to medical,” Hicks said.

The Reagan was traveling across the Pacific, heading for deployment in the
Western Pacific and Arabian Sea. The on February 2.

City News Service contributed to this report.