Santa Cruz Harbor Reopens After Tsunami
SANTA CRUZ (CBS / AP) -- The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday reopened the Santa Cruz Harbor, which was closed after about 100 boats were damaged or sunk by the tsunami that rolled ashore on March 11.
The Coast Guard safety zone restricting access to the harbor expired at 5 p.m.
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A National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration survey crew completed its investigation of the harbor sea floor and determined that the waters were once again safely navigable.
As of last Wednesday, eight sunken boats had been recovered as part of what was an ongoing effort. Five remained in the water then and nine remained missing. About 100 boats sustained damaged ranging from scratches to total loss.
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Last week, Harbormaster Lisa Ekers said that the closure was economically hurting the harbor. Since the March 11 closure, the community lost $206,000 per day, Ekers said.
Even though the harbor is open to boat traffic again, harbor officials warn that there is no power or water service on some of the dock areas that were damaged by the tsunami.
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