County of San Luis Obispo

COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER, RM. D-430 # SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA 93408# (805) 781-5011

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NEWS RELEASE

FROM THE SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES

Contact: Ron Alsop, Emergency Services Coordinator, (805) 781-5454

Strong Currents and Sea Level Fluctuations Possible Due to the Kuril Islands Earthquake

San Luis Obispo, CA, January 13, 2007 – As a result of the January 12, 8:24 PM Pacific Standard Time preliminary magnitude 8.2 earthquake which occurred east of the Kuril Islands, Russia, the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WCATWC) has issued a notification that no destructive tsunami threat exists for Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California.

However, the WCATWC is stating some areas may experience observable effects which could include strong currents in harbors and bays dangerous to those in or near the water. These effects are expected to begin at approximately 4:40AM PST in the Pacific Northwest ranging to 6:00AM PST in southern California and could continue for several hours after initial arrival.

The National Weather Service Los Angeles has issued a Special Weather Statement which reads as follows:

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
1235 AM PST SAT JAN 13 2007
 
CAZ034-035-039>041-087-131600-
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY CENTRAL COAST-
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY NORTH COAST-
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SOUTH COAST-
VENTURA COUNTY COAST-
LOS ANGELES COUNTY COAST INCLUDING DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES-
CATALINA ISLAND-
1235 AM PST SAT JAN 13 2007
 
....LOCALLY STRONG CURRENTS AND SEA-LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS MAY AFFECT
THE COAST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS MORNING..
 
THERE IS NO TSUNAMI WATCH...WARNING...OR ADVISORY IN EFFECT AT THIS
TIME FOR THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST. HOWEVER...DANGEROUS CURRENTS
AND SURGES ARE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING IN HARBORS AND BAYS. COASTAL
RESIDENTS ARE ADVISED TO STAY OUT OF THE WATER...OFF THE BEACH...AND
AWAY FROM HARBORS AND MARINAS. WAVE HEIGHTS AND CURRENTS ARE
AMPLIFIED BY IRREGULAR SHORELINE AND ARE DIFFICULT TO PREDICT. 
 
continues
County OES News Release, 1/13/2006, Page 2 of 2
 
 
THE THREAT IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AROUND 500 AM PST SATURDAY JANUARY 13
2007 AND MAY CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THE INITIAL WAVE MAY NOT BE
THE LARGEST. MARINERS IN WATER DEEPER THAN 600 FEET SHOULD NOT BE
AFFECTED.
 
STAY TUNED TO LOCAL MEDIA OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FUTURE UPDATES.

Additional information can be found on the State Office of Emergency Services’ Emergency Digital Information Service Web site at http://www.edis.ca.gov or the WCATWC Web site at http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/ or the National Weather Service Web site for our area at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/

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