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PHOTOS: A king tide tangled with a rainstorm to make dramatically high water levels in Coal Harbour

The North Island hamlet withstood the phenomena, but it was unlike any they’d seen before

On top of a wind storm that left thousands without power on the North Island Tuesday Nov. 17, a king tide pushed the limits of retaining walls, embankments and previously known high-tide levels.

In Coal Harbour the effects were especially noticeable. Lawns were submerged, the marina might as well have been a floating dock and the long-term parking lot almost turned into a marina itself.

King tides occur two to three times a year when the sun, moon and earth are aligned such that gravity has greater force on the water. One resident likened it to the 1964 tsunami that rolled down to Vancouver Island from Alaska. The water levels then, which came up Quatsino Sound on a low tide, were comparable to how high things got on Tuesday, one local said.

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