Coast Guard continues to assess, respond to Pacific Northwest maritime coastal infrastructure

SEATTLE – Thirteenth Coast Guard District units continue to assess Pacific Northwest infrastructures after tsunami warnings and advisories were issued for the Washington and Oregon coasts, Friday.

Coast Guard helicopter over flights reported no significant damage to Washington coast infrastructures, significant damage in Brookings, Ore., and minor damage to Charleston, Depot Bay, and Winchester Bay, Ore.

A Coast Guard inspection team is en route to Brookings, where three vessels were washed out into the Pacific Ocean and several vessels sank in the harbor. Inspectors will assess damage to the infrastructure and determine if any pollution resulted from the damage.

“As the Captain of the Port, my primary objectives in Chetco River are to ensure the safety and well being of all responders, mitigate the effects of any pollution, and assess and restore the waterway in an effort to open the river bar to all traffic,” said Capt. Leonard Tumbarello, COTP for Sector Columbia River, whose area of responsibility extends from the Salmon and Snake Rivers in the east, into Idaho, down the Columbia River to coastal Oregon & Washington.

The 13th District will continue to monitor warnings and provide assistance where needed.

“We will continue to monitor tsunami warnings from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and will provide on-scene information to NOAA and other federal, state and local partners, if requested; and will continue to work with U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA, and other federal, state and local agencies to assure a coordinated effort occurs if there are any maritime emergencies,” said Capt. Salvatore Palmeri, Chief of the 13^th Coast Guard District Incident Management Branch.

The public is encouraged to:

• Continue to monitor NOAA’s tsunami warnings.
• Call 911 to report any emergencies.
• Call the nearest Coast Guard unit to report any pollution, derelict vessels, or damage to the maritime infrastructure.

Additional tsunami related photo may be viewed in the March 2011 photo album at http://Facebook.com/CoastGuardNews.