Tsunami produced 3′ waves in O.C.

February 27th, 2010, 12:58 am

Reporting by Gary Robbins, Peter Schelden, Ron Campbell, Cindy Carcamo, Ken Steinhardt and Elysse James.

Updated 4:17 p.m.

A magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Chile that literally shook the planet generated a tsunami that produced 3 foot high waves in Orange County 13 hours later, including waves that hit storm runoff in the Santa Ana River, briefly producing small rapids.

It was the largest tsunami to hit Orange County since the Great Alaskan Earthquake of 1964, a 9.2 temblor that briefly raised sea level about 2 feet here.

The tsunami, which traveled about 6,000 miles to get here, led officials to close virtually every beach in Orange County as well as most piers. Newport Beach sent automated phone calls to residents warning them to stay away from the ocean. Parts of Dana Point Harbor were closed. And the new $1 billion destroyer USS Dewey was sent out to sea from the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station to avoid being damaged.

“This was an enormous event whose waves not only came here, but are going to the Philipines and Japan and Alaska,â€