Santa Cruz Boat Owners Criticize City's Tsunami Policies
SANTA CRUZ (KCBS) _ It's been nearly three weeks since a destructive tsunami crashed into the Santa Cruz Harbor, causing millions of dollars in damage, and some boat owners are not happy with the way harbor officials handled the big wave.
KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:
Damage estimates from the tsunami waves coming from the earthquake that devastated parts of Japan are nearing $30 million, and Port Director Lisa Eckers said there is additional damage to structural components underneath the docks.
"Some of those are metal plates that are used to screw together the structural pieces," said Eckers. "Some of the docks are missing flotation underneath."
The harbor hosted a community meeting Tuesday night, which was attended by dozens of boat owners, some of whom have been displaced from their homes because they were living on their boats.
"I think if people had left the harbor before there would have been less trouble for the harbor and more of it would have survived," boater Dean Khan told CBS 5.
The port has applied for an emergency declaration from the state, which, if passed, could cover about 75 percent of the tsunami damage.
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