It's a sad day....

Not that it's anything near like what's happened to Japan, but it makes me sad to see tsunami damage once again in Crescent City, and what appears to be damage at the Port of Brookings.  Familiar places hurt more, somehow.

Take a good look at this photo that I just captured off the new Port of Brookings video cam [apparently now decommissioned, since the ground upon which it sat has eroded away].  It's been really busy today and hard to get into, but I was able to watch it for awhile at work, and just now again at home.  The video clearly shows the surging in and out of the water, but look at the foreground.  Earlier today, that big gap in the metal retaining wall wasn't there!  It has apparently simply washed away.  And, look at the green grass.  See the fissures?  Those were definitely not there even this afternoon. 

I have no idea what the surge has done to the larger harbor just to the left, or the other one behind this camera.  Sure looks like it might wash all this foreground away before it's finished, however.  That area is a dock and unloading area for large commercial fishing boats.

This photo is one I took looking into the harbor, with the big metal retaining wall at the right, under the vertical red banner.  You can see how relatively  unprotected that rear marina would be to a strong surge, and while the one that is hidden to the right here may have a bit more protection, it's closer and the water was surging into that channel with some strength.

Update:  Check out these links to the Curry Coastal Pilot newspaper article which says 'our port has been destroyed', and their You Tube page with lots of video.  It's heartbreaking....

It's frustrating being all the way across the country and not knowing what's happening to this little town that I loved, the harbor where I spent so much time and have so many good memories.

But again -- this is a personal issue on a small scale compared to the devastation in Japan, and I'm almost embarrassed to even bring it up.