A Rogue wave sends onlookers in Ventura, California, fleeing as huge surf pounds West Coast and Hawaii and floods some low-lying areas (Picture: Facebook/Colin Hoag)
A storm-driven rogue wave crashed past a seawall in California and struck running beachgoers, pushed cars and turned streets into rivers.
The entire terrifying ordeal was captured on video by a bystander in Ventura on Thursday.
A man can be seen walking calmly on the sand in the Pierpont neighborhood near Seaward Avenue as a swell in the distance approaches the seawall.
The water continues toward the shore and when it doesn’t stop, several people begin to flee.
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Colin Hoag, who recorded the unusual occurrence, can be heard saying some expletives as he runs while still filming the swell continuing to climb up the street.
People can be heard screaming and a car is seen driving up the street with water surrounding it.
‘Oh my god,’ Haog says, as he stops several blocks away from the shore. Water is seen spreading more slowly.
Shop owners step outside to observe the streets turned into rivers. Some people wade more than ankle deep in the water.
The entire unusual event in Ventura, California, was captured on video by a bystander (Picture: Facebook/Colin Hoag)
A rogue wave pounded Ventura, California, on Thursday (Picture: Facebook/Colin Hoag)
‘I was able to capture this entire event on video this morning at the Seaward wall in Pierpont,’ wrote Hoag on Facebook on Thursday afternoon.
At least eight people were injured, according to Ventura County Fire Department Spokesman Andy Vansciver.
‘All of the people in the area were swept down on to shore,’ Vansciver told KEYT. ‘Multiple vehicles in the area were moved around and swept around due to the impact and force of the water.’
There were at least 12 swift water rescues across Ventura County. The fire department urged the public to stay away form beaches.
People run for cover as high tides hit the coastline of Ventura, California, on Thursday (Picture: Reuters)
At least eight people were injured when a rogue wave struck Ventura, California (Picture: Reuters)
The rogue wave was generated by powerful storms in the Pacific Ocean that have caused coastal flooding and evacuations across the California coast and in Hawaii.
Evacuation orders were in effect in Marin County on Thursday morning and later in the day in Santa Cruz County.
Waves were estimated to reach 28 to 40 feet, the National Weather Service said.
Conditions were expected to improve in San Francisco on Friday morning, but forecasters said the worst could still be ahead in parts of southern California, with San Diego likely to see highest surf on Saturday. Los Angeles is on a high surf and coastal flooding advisory through Saturday at 10pm.
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Bystander video captures a rogue wave crashing past a seawall in Ventura, California, and hitting beachgoers and cars.