An incredible video has captured the terrifying moment a rogue wave crashed into Ventura, California, on Thursday, sending onlookers scrambling and causing injuries to eight people, according to Fox 11.
The wave slammed into Seaward Avenue in Ventura, where over a dozen people were gathered near a wall to view the day’s incredibly high surf. Monster waves of up to 33 feet high pounded the coastline yesterday, causing major flooding and damage.
The massive wave on the video blows over the wall and the onlookers are seen running desperately for safety while a driver in a truck also hits the gas in an attempt to get away.
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One man can be seen being swept down the street while clinging onto his bicycle while another person, who is on the beach side, appears to jump over the wall just before the wave hits the concrete structure.
Ty Miller, who got caught up in the wave, said that people had been watching the surf and then seconds later everything changed.
“Everybody was watching the wave because it’s a huge wave coming at you and right when it got closer, that’s when everybody started to run and then all hell broke loose,” Miller told Fox 11.
Miller said there were about 14 people around when the wave hit.
“I grabbed an elderly lady so she didn’t slide all the way down and everybody ended up at the bottom and I lost one of my crutches and I hobbled over to my truck,” Miller said. “I’ve never seen waves pick up and swell that much.”
The surge of water rushed inland for about a block. the swell was so powerful it pushed a tree and water right through the protective glass and caused major damage to the hotel Inn on the Beach located on Seaward Avenue, according to Fox 11.
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The Ventura County Fire Department said that multiple rescues were made yesterday, including a lifeguard who got caught in the tide while attempting to rescue a surfer. Footage online shows the lifeguard being pulled from the water by two men.
In addition, Ventura County firefighters were called to the Oxnard Harbor, where a fisherman fell overboard into the cold water Thursday evening, Fox Weather reported. Fortunately, the fisherman was rescued and is expected to recover.
The debris from the coastal flooding deposited on streets was so heavy that road crews used plows to clear the scenic State Highway 1, south of San Francisco. Other stretches of the road were too buried to clear.
People are advised to stay away from the water. A High Surf Warning and Coastal Flood Warning remain in effect through Saturday at 10 p.m. In Orange County, the coastal flood and high surf advisories will be in effect until 2 a.m. Monday, according to FOX 11.
Officials issued evacuation orders for several northern and central California coastal communities.
The next set of big swells will arrive Saturday as powerful Pacific cyclones continue to send massive swells toward the West Coast, renewing coastal flooding threats, according to the National Weather Service.
A storm offshore Wednesday was measured at a peak minimum pressure of 960 millibars. It was followed close behind Thursday by another storm measuring as low as 970 millibars at its peak strength, according to NOAA surface analysis charts cited by Fox Weather.
