Live updates: Tonga hit with tsunami after volcanic eruption

Santa Cruz, Calif., city manager Elizabeth Smith told CNN that there was some “minor flooding” at the city’s harbor and that there is a “multi-jurisdictional team” monitoring the surges on Saturday after an underwater volcano eruption near Tonga triggered a tsunami alert for the western coast of the US. 

She added that beaches and the harbor will be closed until noon and that people were evacuated out of stores and the area close to the harbor, but no one was evacuated out of their homes. 

A surf contest was also postponed and expected to resume later today, Smith said. 

Smith said that a second surge “went up 3 feet and then dropped 5 feet,” which she called “pretty interesting.”  

Smith said authorities recommended that people not be in the area. They are expecting the high tides to subside by mid-morning and are watching closely for any changes.