Residents around Richardson Bay reported rough waters but minimal damage in southern Marin during an ocean surge caused by a volcanic eruption in the Pacific Ocean on Saturday.
Damage to docks and vessels was reported near the area of Greenwood Cove Drive, adjacent to the Cove apartment complex in unincorporated Tiburon, Marin County sheriff’s Sgt. Brenton Schneider said. The complex is located north of the Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary and east of the Strawberry Recreation District.
No damage was reported along the water in Belvedere, Tiburon and Sausalito.
Scary moments for neighbors in Tiburon after #tsunami surge rips boat dock from building, casting it adrift. @LiveDoppler7 pic.twitter.com/2qCO46kIHE
— Cornell Barnard (@CornellBarnard) January 15, 2022
The eruption took place Friday at about 8:15 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, triggering the wave surge. The impact to the bay from the surge was tempered by the Pacific Ocean-bordering San Francisco and Marin peninsulas, said Brayden Murdock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
A surge of waves, including powerful inward and outward currents, were observed throughout the Bay Area, he said. The surge took about eight to 10 hours to reach coastal waters and increased wave height in the area by at least 1 foot.
The powerful currents mobilized law enforcement and public safety personnel to keep the public away from the coastline and notify those living on Richardson Bay.
“The response to the alert was very robust from Marin County emergency operations, Southern Marin Fire and all other response agencies,” said Jim Malcolm, Richardson Bay interim harbormaster, in an email. “The RBRA response mostly consisted of communications with the anchor out community and monitoring and communicating with response agencies.”
Schneider said deputies and Marin County firefighters monitored areas including Richardson Bay during the surge.
Please avoid traveling to our coastal areas to observe the surges. It is not safe.
There are extremely powerful currents associated with the surges and if you are pulled into the water it will overpower you.
Dock damage in Richardson Bay area. pic.twitter.com/T9LHJs7j6T
— Marin County Sheriff (@MarinSheriff) January 15, 2022
Anchor-outs, or residents of floating vessels on Richardson Bay, noticed at least one vessel that was pulled adrift as a result of the charging current.
“One boat was dragging out there, it could have been a loose anchor,” said anchor-out Lisa McKracken. “We don’t have too many tsunamis but we learn firsthand by experience.”
McKracken said she and her housemate Steve Fischer were woken at dawn by sirens. They later made contact with Southern Marin firefighters, who warned them of high tides and surges. When they saw the vessel adrift they reached it with a skiff and were assisted by other anchor-outs, who helped secure it at anchor.
Joseph Bernstein, an anchor-out, said vessels were “spinning on the water” multiple times that day as a result of the tides coming in and out of the bay.
“It happened all day,” Bernstein said. “It rolled in and out pretty hard, almost like a tornado.”
The anchor-outs and a representative of the Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary also noticed large amounts of vegetation and debris in the water, including floating plastic and a kayak paddle.
Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg, an ecological consultant hired by the Richardson’s Bay Regional Agency to monitor the health of underwater eelgrass, said there were no expected impacts of the tidal surge on undersea life.
She said the influx of trash could be detrimental, but likened the event to a “storm surge,” which had similar impacts on wildlife.
Source: www.mercurynews.com