By Jeff Barnard
Associated Press
CRESCENT CITY, Calif. — Officials along California’s northern coast activated tsunami warning sirens to alert residents of low-lying areas to seek higher ground.
The National Weather Service says some of the biggest waves of between 6 and 7 feet were expected to hit Crescent City near the Oregon border, where 11 people were killed in 1964 from a tsunami.
Fishermen in Crescent City fired up their crab boats and left the harbor to ride out an expected swell, while residents living in a trailer park nearby headed to higher ground.
Police closed the Great Highway that runs along San Francisco’s western coast and warned people to stay away from the beaches.
In Southern California, surfers were taking advantage of decent waves ahead of the tsunami.
The first waves hit near Port Orford, Ore.
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