Perilous
Times
First wave of massive floating debris field from Japan�s
tsunami hits US West Coast
The first debris from Japan�s March 11 tsunami has started to wash
ashore on the West Coast of the United States.
By Danielle Demetriou, Tokyo
11:09AM GMT 16 Dec 2011
The Telegraph UK
Vast expanses of floating debris have slowly been making their way
across the Pacific since the powerful tsunami swept inland across
swathes of eastern Japan in March.
More than nine months after the disaster, oceonographers have
located what is believed to be the first debris washed up onto the
shores of the West Coast of the US.
The discovery consisted of a black buoy, found by a beach cleaning
crew. It is believed that the floats were the first to hit the
West Coast shoreline due to their lack of weight, having been
pushed ahead of the main piles of flotsam after catching the wind.
The buoy was displayed in a local college, with experts in the
region urging the discovery of debris to be treated respectfully,
with any identifiable pieces being returned to Japan.
�All debris should be treated with a great reverence and respect,�
Curtis Ebbesmeyer, an oceanographer.
Floating rubbish islands stretching dozens of miles in length have
been spotted slowly edging away from Japan and towards the West
Coast since the immediate aftermath of the March 11 disaster.
From entire segments of wooden homes, furniture and appliances to
cars and boats, the rubbish islands are creating growing concern
due to environmental pollution as well as shipping hazards.
The possibility of human bodies being included in the debris is
also high, bearing in mind the thousands of victims of the
disaster who are still missing, believed to have been swept out to
sea.
The main body of floating tsunami debris is expected to hit US
shores in around a year, stretching the length of the coastline
from California to Alaska, according to experts.