wallly griffin who ran the town's newspaper then jumped in his car when he saw the fourth wave comingand headed inland as fast as he could. he escaped. >> it would have been six or 7 feet above our heads. >> reporter: griffin told us about a family near this creek that piled into a row boat when they saw the wave coming thinking to ride it out. they did until the receding wave sucked them into this culvert that was not then covered by a barge. >> so they went in and drowned in there. >> yeah, they drowned inside. >> reporter: how many people? >> seven i think. >> of the seven. >> one survived. >> reporter: sandra nus came downtown in daylight and was shocked by what she saw. >> total chaos. there were cars inside of the buildings, refrigerators, stoves all kinds of things just laying around in parking lots and in stores and in the -- everywhere it's just total mess. >> reporter: 180 houses and stores were bulldozed. running along the coast is a massive fault line called the cascadous abduction. and danger says when that slips away which could happen any time it will unleash a tsunami