Monterey County neighbors share their feelings over tsunami advisory

Mixed reactions filled Monterey County following the news of an 8.8 magnitude earthquake this week.

A tsunami watch went out Tuesday night, later turning into a tsunami advisory and the growing status of the advisory had some people on edge.

Martin Ramos, a Monterey neighbor, said that his roommate told him about the tsunami advisory and it made him feel panicked.

"I was speechless," Ramos said. "I didn't know what to think."

Others in the area resumed their schedules like it was a regular day.

"We were going to go free diving in Monterey," Effie Benjamin, a Santa Cruz neighbor, said.

Benjamin said the reason she did not go diving is because it was too cloudy to see in the water, not because she was afraid of the tsunami.

Jesse Chisler, a vendor at Old Fisherman's Wharf, was out selling his merchandise by 9 a.m..

"Didn't even think about (not setting up), no." Chisler said.

Chisler said he saw the same amount of people he normally does and thought the weather was nice.

"I think it would be a good day to be out here," Chisler said.

The tsunami advisory ended just before 11 am., however the National Weather Service said there are still strong currents that pose a risk along the central coast. 

Despite not feeling shaken by this advisory, the people carrying on said they do still take the alerts seriously.

"It's always good to be, you know, aware of it," Robbie Chavez, a Monterey neighbor, said. "Just have everything, all the preparations ready before anything, anything goes down." 

Sabrina Pellegrini, a Monterey neighbor, said that she was not scared at all but still did research to ensure she was up to date on the alerts.

"We went online, obviously, and just kind of a: 'What kind of surge are we expecting? Like where is this going to really hit? What is the time zone?,'" Pellegrini recalled.

The county said coastal areas, beaches and waterways are now open but ask people to remain aware of their surroundings