Photographer Julia Wiese started her walk on the Edmonds Fishing Pier, which looked like a normal Saturday morning with heavy fog. “There were less than a dozen people fishing, a few walkers and several people taking photos, a kayaker, and people walking along the beach,” she said. As she left the pier, she noticed the barricade that had been put in place Saturday morning after it was announced that all beaches and piers would be closed for public safety due to a tsunami advisory.
“I talked with a birder, Brian, who was visiting the Edmonds waterfront for the first time. He was disappointed that they closed the pier,” Wiese said.
Some visitors had come to Edmonds to go boating through the Freedom Boat Club, but discovered upon arrival their reservation was canceled due to the tsunami warning. Others had arrived to visit the off-leash dog park, but it was also closed.
I don’t know who came up with this idea but it was definitely one of the most ridiculous overreactions I have ever seen. I was out for a walk and couldn’t figure out why all the beaches were closed. To save us from incoming tidal waves wasn’t even on the list. Did anyone really think we were going to experience a Tsunami affect? Of course not. Maybe someday, in a world far – far away it may be necessary for us to close the beaches and maybe even use our new Tsunami siren but please City of Edmonds, back off a little, relax.
Better to be safe than sorry!
Sandy
Agree, better to be safe than sorry! One day closure of a place isn’t the end of the world. I was in Thailand during a tsunami that was devastating.
It sound as if we have a few people that have to touch something that has signage saying “Danger life electrical!”
Can you imagine the uproar and backlash had even one person been caught off guard and gotten hurt or killed? We now live in a world where so many people have sued or wreaked havoc on organizations and leaders that they fear for their jobs and their reputations. These sorts of decisions are made in the face of possible natural disasters and consequences (something we can’t completely predict) but are made with the best intentions of keeping our community safe. They can’t win either way, someone will always criticize and be upset no matter what the decision. Extremely minor inconvenience in order to be sure people are safe. Don’t forget there’s always those few that push it and make irresponsible decisions that are quite often why these decisions are made!
I believe safety first won over “overreacting!”