Oregon ocean tragedy underscores need for greater awareness
Posted January 17, 2017 6:00 am
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - One moment, Jayson Thomas was on the Oregon beach with his 3-year-old son. The next, they were gone, swept away by a "sneaker wave" as his wife looked on.
These were but the latest deaths caused by sneaker waves. A leading expert says they are a particular threat in the Pacific Northwest. Tuba Ozkan-Haller of Oregon State University says there needs to be greater awareness to prevent future tragedies.
Ozkan-Haller is carrying out a three-year research project to devise a sneaker-wave early warning system that could be broadcast and published by the National Weather Service.
In this photo provided by the Oregon State Police taken Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter searches a beach about two miles north of Cape Blanco, Oregon, where a father and his young son were swept out to sea Sunday as they walked near the surf. (Oregon State Police via AP)
The Associated Press
In this photo provided by the Oregon State Police taken Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter searches a beach about two miles north of Cape Blanco, Oregon, where a father and his young son were swept out to sea Sunday as they walked near the surf. (Oregon State Police via AP)
The Associated Press
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