The series of waves pulsed in, each higher and stronger than the last, leaving destruction and lives forever changed in their wake. Yes, I am speaking of the aftermath of the tsunami on March 11, but not on the shores of Japan. Two small harbors on the Northern California and Southern Oregon coasts sustained millions of dollars in damage, individuals were displaced from their homes, and the livelihoods and futures of others were swept away. The scale of the destruction was nowhere near what the country of Japan has experienced, but for those whose lives were directly affected on our shores, it was no less devastating. The harbors of both Crescent City, Calif., and Brookings, Ore., sustained millions in dollars of damage to infrastructure such as pilings, docks and hoists and to boats anchored there. Both are victims of their unique positions and geological configurations which make them, in the words of one geologist, “tsunami magnets.” Since 1934, a total of 34 tsunami surges — big and small — have hit the coast, the most deadly following the 1964 8.6 Good Friday Alaska quake which killed 11 in Crescent City and wiped out 29 city blocks with waves up to 25 feet high. This most recent tidal wave arrived with plenty of warning. Indeed, all up and down Oregon’s coast, evacuation sirens had been going off since 4 a.m. School districts cancelled Friday classes, and individuals living in the low-lying tsunami warning zones moved to higher ground. By 10:30 a.m., though, most thought the worst was past. The first waves had arrived at 7:15 a.m., and no major damage was reported. In fact, I watched on T.V. as Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber stood in a plaza in Portland and congratulated emergency personnel and citizens for responding well to the threat. It was actually while this public back-slapping was going on that the highest and most damaging of the surges was entering the Crescent City and Brookings harbors. As the geologists explained it, a tsunami isn’t one wave but a series of them occurring over the course of 24 hours. Small harbors magnify the effect of the waves as they bounce around. In Brookings, 20 people were displaced from their damaged houseboats, and following a state of emergency declaration, FEMA funds will help to repair infrastructure vital to the recreational and commercial fishing industries which are vital economic engines in a part of the state with high unemployment. In Crescent City, the story is much the same. There 16 boats sunk and 47 were damaged. Many in the commercial salmon fleet are older, wooden-hulled boats for which their owners couldn’t secure insurance. After several years of severely reduced chinook salmon seasons due to low runs, 2011 was forecast to be a good year with longer seasons and bigger limits. Now, many fishermen have unusable boats with no funds to repair or replace them and no one willing or able to buy up their salmon permits or salvaged gear. Those who do have boats will have to find another harbor, perhaps far from homes and families, until the facilities in Crescent City can be replaced. Most of us are keenly aware of the horrific aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, but unfortunately, one need look no further than our own shores to find the results of that life-changing disaster in our own backyard. That story has primarily only been told in local papers and small, regional television markets, but it is one which reminds us once again that faraway disasters can have very real and immediate impacts close to home. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor