Winter storm totally decimates coastal town's shoreline

Birch Bay is a fairly small community in Whatcom County Washington on the Pacific Ocean coast. A short drive south of the Canada/USA boundary it attracts many visitors, mainly in the summer months. Come winter the town becomes a sleepy town but still attracts many to walk its beautiful beached in search of shells, driftwood, and to just enjoy the scenery. December 20th, 2018 was a horrific day for Birch Bay. Blistering winds over 65 mph struck the area right at the time of high tide and low atmospheric pressure to create a tidal surge of 11.3 feet -- about 2 feet above the predicted high tide. As many as 10,000 people lost power in the immediate area, and over 300,000 lost power from this storm. Waves crashed over the roadway causing traffic chaos. One restaurant on the waterfront which had been recently renovated suffered drastically. The windows and doors were blown out from the power of the extreme waves.