Massive Waves Crash Into Oregon Coast Injuring Woman, Destroying Houses, And More…

It all started with a high-surf warning by the National Weather Service on January 21, 2017, but then turned into massive life-threatening waves.

So far one woman has been reported injured by the waves which hit her resort balcony, BeachConnection reported.  The mammoth sized waves also caused significant damage to surrounding condos, houses and more.

The waves were so big and powerful that they tossed lumber, logs and debris onto the parking lot in Rockaway Beach.  The cars also collided together from all the wreckage. (Image by Amanda Cairnss, via BeachConnection)

The National Weather Service (NWS) located in Portland also recorded incredible 20-foot waves from their digital responders in buoys out at sea.  The surf advisory was lifted after 10 p. m. on Saturday, but breakers kept pounding the shore. The NWS also stated that many waves hitting the the coastline might have been much higher than the reported 20-foot waves at sea.

The Oregon coast rarely sees waves this big, but this wasn’t a normal high surf warning.  BeachConnection reported this incident happened at 8 a.m. on Saturday. The woman was standing on her resort balcony at Surftides in Lincoln City resort.  Her balcony was more than ten feet above normal upper sand levels and was situated above a strong sea wall, but that was no match for the waves. A wave struck the balcony injuring the woman.

“Jim Kusz, with the North Lincoln County Fire and Rescue Department, said the woman appeared to have minor injuries and was sent to the hospital, but little else was known about her condition. The balcony was nearly “demolished” he said, getting hit by what he estimated to be a ten-foot wave,” reported BeachConnection.

Another photo from Amanda Cairns, shows the destruction of this Rockaway Beach condo. Objects were flung into the garage door from the inside, which then shoved against and broke down the entire door, all from the force of the water that came in.

Kusz is urging the public to stay away from Oregon beaches and not to go close to the  crashing waves.

In Yachats, Oregon, there has been no major reported damage, but as you can see in the video below, the surf is very high.

Pattie Huggins-Deitrick, a local Oregon coast resident got this heart-pounding shot, depicting some incredibly unwise behavior of someone trying to get a photo. Shortly after catching this photo, the man lost his balance and was struck by waves. He lost his camera and nearly died from the ocean’s power.

Deitrick and other residents have been documenting the unbelievable amount of near-death incidences and the photo above may be one of Deitrick’s closest encounters with someone dying in front of her own eyes, the BeachConnection reported.

A fan of Oregon Daily News shared this incredible photo you see below – Shore Acres State Park. (Image credit: Debbie Tegtmeier)

BeachConnection also reported last month that a Hawaiian tourist died in the same general area.

Large waves are scheduled to hit the coast this next week, but surf isn’t expected to be as big as it was on Saturday.

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