Crime & Safety
Surfers Hit the Water in Spite of Tsunami Advisory
Onlookers gather along the coast to check out the scene as Manhattan Beach uses its Emergency Operation Center to prepare for the worst, which doesn't materialize, fortunately.
Manhattan Beach residents Derek and Keith Brewer and Marc Liger didn't think twice about surfing at El Porto this morning during the tsunami advisory.
As onlookers gathered on The Strand and along the coast from El Porto to 1st Street, surfers and bodyboarders could be seen in and going into the water from 7:30 to 10 a.m., the very time the surf was predicted to have a tsunami tidal surge.
The Brewer brothers, who have surfed for 27 years and do so everyday, said that when news reports indicated the tsunami was downgraded and primarily hitting Northern California and Oregon, they donned their garb and grabbed their gear and walked the few blocks to the ocean at Rosecrans Avenue.
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"We haven't had waves for the last three days," said Derek, adding that they didn't feel anything different or a tidal surge when they were in the water. The waves today were "playful."
Liger who lives on the water in El Porto said he'd heard that the surge would be a couple of feet high which wasn't enough to keep him out of the water.
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"I love surfing," he said. "It keeps me sane," said the Marriage and Family Therapist who practices in Culver City. He said that he was next heading to a conference near Los Angeles International Airport, adding that he'd gotten in the ocean knowing doing so would make him late to the event.
He said it was sad to hear and see the reports of the tragedy Japan's earthquake has unleashed in that country.
Of his time surfing this morning and the predicted surge, he said, "It probably gets mixed in," noting that he felt nothing different.
Downtown at the base of the pier, Manhattan Beach resident Chuck Elkind told Patch that his son had called to say that his granddaughter was in Tokyo when the earthquake hit. He soon let Elkind know that he'd been able to make contact with the young woman via Facebook or e-mail and that she was OK.
Hanging out with Elkind was Mar Vista resident Todd Monroe, who had ridden his bike, as he does nearly everyday, from Mar Vista to the pier. He said he'd seen more people than usual out along his route.
The emergency response in Manhattan Beach was done mostly out of sight, part of the visible response two fire trucks, one that took a position on Rosecrans a block or two from the ocean, the other on Manhattan Beach Boulevard, below Highland near the two county-operated parking lots. Manhattan Beach Boulevard was blocked off at Highland and the gate to the pier was closed. The parking lots in El Porto, at 26th Street and north and south of the pier were closed.
Manhattan Beach officials went to work at 1:30 a.m. and initiated the Emergency Operation Center on a limited basis at 4 a.m. when police, fire and public works personnel met to plan their response, Interim Fire Chief Ken Shuck told Patch.
At 6:30 a.m., they participated in a conference call with Region 1 of the state mutual aid system. They also coordinated their efforts with Los Angeles County and City personnel, including county lifeguards who oversee the beaches in the city. A decision was made not to close the beaches but to ask people to stay off of them. That request was not enforced.Â
Shuck said that a planned reverse 911 call message was formulated in case residents west of Highland Avenue, the area most vulnerable to a tsunami, needed to be evacuated.
 "You hope for the best and prepare for the worst," he said.
Shuck said that fire personnel were held over when their shifts ended at 8 a.m. By noon, those staffers had been sent home, but remain available.
"I was pleased with our response," said Shuck. "We have some very dedicated, talented people and many of them showed up without even being called."Â
Early in the coordinated operation, Shuck drove the city from one end to the other to view what was going on.Â
(Updated at 4:51 p.m.): No problems have been reported in Manhattan Beach since a county-wide tsunami advisory was issued Friday morning.
The local coastline appeared clear Friday afternoon as hardly any unusual tsunami-generated waves hit the area.
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