March 27, 1964: Tsunami Hits Oregon Coast

Astoria, Oregon tsunami evacuation map

A tsunami struck the Oregon coast on the evening of March 27, 1964, following the great Alaskan earthquake, the one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded and largest ever recorded in North America. In Alaska nine deaths were attributed to the earthquake, but the tsunami took the lives of 106 Alaskans, and wreaked havoc across the Pacific.

The Oregonian reported the local damage on March 28, 1964:

Astoria – Some high water but no damage.
Depoe Bay – High water, wharf broke loose.
Point Adams Coast Guard Station – Coast Guard boats moved into the Columbia River to avoid high water
Newport – High water hit in two surges, but no damage
Florence – Siuslaw River rose eight feet in eight seconds. It tore loose at least four boats.

What they didn’t know until later was that four members of a family camping at Beverly Beach State Park were drowned in the waves. Further down the coast the citizens of Crescent City, California suffered the worst fate outside of Alaska, with twelve deaths attributed to the tsunami.

Be prepared for the inevitable next tsunami: find your town’s “Beat the wave” tsunami evacuation route map or create your own using the NANOOS evacuation zone map viewer.

Astoria Weekend Amusements (24-27 March, 2022)

Something for everyone this weekend! If you define everyone as someone who enjoys nature and beer, dance parties for kids, theater, and ukulele music. So yeah, everyone.

Thursday

Thursday Talks: Nature Matters

THURSDAY TALKS: NATURE MATTERS

Join Zechariah Meunier at the first in-person Nature Matters this season, as he presents Drivers of Change in Rocky Intertidal Communities in the Lovell Showroom (doors 6pm, talk begins at 7pm) at Fort George Brewery (1438 Duane Street).

The rocky coasts of the Pacific Northwest are home to an amazing array of animals and algae. However, changing oceanographic conditions threaten these iconic ecosystems and there is growing evidence that rocky intertidal communities are becoming more unstable, and some are experiencing regime shifts from one type of community to another. Recent research points to marine heatwaves, El Niño, sea star wasting disease, and the intensification of upwelling as leading factors causing these changes. In this talk, Zechariah Meunier will describe research that he and other ecologists from Oregon State University are conducting on the resilience of rocky intertidal ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest.

Read more on the Fort George Brewery website.

Thursday-Saturday

Art

Poster for Art  by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton  Directed by Karen Bain  March 18th-26th

The Ten Fifteen Theater (1015 Commercial) presents the final weekend of the play Art by Yasmina Reza at 7:30pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, March 24-26.

How much would you pay for a white painting? Would it matter who the painter was? Would it be art? One of Marc’s best friends, Serge, has just bought a very expensive painting. It’s white, all white. To Marc, the painting is a joke, but Serge insists Marc doesn’t have the proper standard to judge the work. Another friend, Ivan, though burdened by his own problems, allows himself to be pulled into this disagreement. Lines are drawn and these old friends square off over the canvas. As their arguments become less theoretical and more personal, they border on destroying their friendships.

Tickets are $20 and available on the website or at the door. Masks and proof of vaccination required.

Saturday

Kidstock 2022

Kidstock

Elevated Productions presents the 3rd Annual KIDSTOCK at Fort George Brewery (1483 Duane Street), 1-3pm outside on the patio.

What’s KIDSTOCK? It’s an electronic dance partyfor kids (and all-ages), DJed by J-Dub (check out his soundcloud to preview some tracks).

Sunday

Astoria Ukulele Orchestra

Ukulele photo by Wemba - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4885060

This sounds like a blast! The Astoria Ukulele Orchestra presents Not Your Average Orchestra: 23 songs in one hour at 4pm on Sunday March 27, 2022 at the Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts (588 16th).

Come hear a dozen ukulele players perform songs from eight different decades. Rockabilly, jazz, country, R&B, grunge–we try everything!

Read more about the Astoria Ukulele Orchestra in Our Coast Magazine.

Tickets are $12 for adults, 18 and up. Kids are free! Proof of vaccination and masks required.

(Ukulele photo by Wemba – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0)