Oregon ocean tragedy underscores need for greater awareness
By Associated Press
Jan 17, 2017 4:43 PM CST
In this photo provided by the Oregon State Police taken Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter searches a beach about two miles north of Cape Blanco, Oregon, where a father and his young son were swept out to sea Sunday as they walked near the surf. (Oregon State Police via AP)   (Associated Press)

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — One moment, Jayson Thomas was on the Oregon beach with his 3-year-old son. The next, they were gone, swept away by a "sneaker wave" as his wife looked on.

These were but the latest deaths caused by sneaker waves. A leading expert says they are a particular threat in the Pacific Northwest. Tuba Ozkan-Haller of Oregon State University says there needs to be greater awareness to prevent future tragedies.

Ozkan-Haller is carrying out a three-year research project to devise a sneaker-wave early warning system that could be broadcast and published by the National Weather Service.

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