Business owners cleaning up day after huge waves slam Oregon coast

LINCOLN CITY, Ore. (KPTV) - A day after beaches were battered by high surf, it was much calmer on the Oregon coast Friday as many who live and work there were cleaning up and repairing the damage.

Mother Nature’s fury pushed ashore with a force that some said they had never seen before.

Security cameras outside of a motel right on the beach in Lincoln City captured the moment massive waves pushed into the building Thursday.

Kyllo’s restaurant owner Craig Kyllo said the waves crashing into his restaurant scared his workers and others inside. A gas line broke and they evacuated the building.

“This was crazy,” Kyllo told FOX 12. “It looks worse than it is. It blew out our plastic plumbing which we’re repairing today. We’re open tomorrow, so no damage to the structure.”

Down the road at Sand Castle Beachfront Motel, the massive waves badly damaged two rooms.

“We already had everything boarded up,” general manager Joe Getty said. “People moved up from the bottom floor into the second floor so a lot of people got to watch that.”

Motel security cameras captured the moment the waves crashed through part of the building. Even with windows boarded up, the massive push of water sent a huge log through one window and caused more damage to the property.

Getty said everyone watching the storm enjoyed the show, but misinformation has scared some customers away.

“We’re getting a lot of cancellations. People are scared thinking it’s been evacuated or that we’re destroyed or something,” he told FOX 12. “We’re not. We’re all good. This happens on the beach.”

There are other beachfront motels with some damage to repair as well, but most business people said Friday that it’s safe and they want people to come out and enjoy the coast.