California tsunami causes estimated $50 million in damage

The March 11 Japan earthquake triggered tsunami waves that crossed the Pacific and thrashed the coast of California, causing at least $50 million in economic damages and killed one person, reported the Los Angeles Times.
The 9.1-magnitude quake off the coast of Japan triggered an ocean surge, setting off tsunami warnings along the North American Pacific Coast, including British Columbia. While B.C. was relatively unscathed, the California ports of Crescent City and Santa Cruz sustained damages, the LA Times reported.
According to RMS, wave heights reached 6.6 feet in Crescent City, 3.2 feet in Santa Barbara and 6.2 feet in Port San Luis.
Lori Dengler, a geology professor and director of the Humboldt Earthquake Education Center, told the paper that the damage estimates were preliminary and likely to rise.
The damage in Santa Cruz is estimated at $17 million, with 17 ships reported to be sunk and 50 others damaged. Santa Barbara’s harbour was turned into a tidal pool – sweeping a commercial fishing vessel out to sea and nearly destroying a 200-ton crane barge, as well as damaging or sweeping out to sea several other smaller boats, the LA Times reported.
California governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in the counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, San Mateo and Santa Cruz.