Registered Member #1675 Joined: Tue Nov 25 2008, 09:29AM : Posts: 3301
Breaking news | ABC7 Los Angeles Friday, March 11, 2011
The Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for the entire West Coast of the United States following the quake in Japan.
Tsunami-related waves may occur in:
San Francisco at 8:16 a.m. Santa Barbara at 8:24 a.m. San Pedro at 8:32 a.m. Santa Monica at 8:39 a.m. Newport Beach at 8:45 a.m. La Jolla at 8:48 a.m.
Currents may be hazardous to swimmers, boats, and coastal structures and may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival. Coastal residents in the watch area should prepare for possible evacuation, officials said.
Los Angeles County coastal residents are advised to stay away from currents, says Sgt. Ron Walker of Manhattan Beach Police Department.
Hawaii is under a separate tsunami warning, with the first wave expected to arrive at 4:59 a.m. PT. (2:59 a.m. HST)
Registered Member #1675 Joined: Tue Nov 25 2008, 09:29AM : Posts: 3301
per california disasters
Posted: 6:30 am Friday, Mar. 11, 2011 Areas of coastal San Luis Obispo County are being evacuated this morning due to the possibility of a tsunami causing major flooding in low-lying areas. Residents, visitors and businesses in Port San Luis, Avila Beach, Pismo Beach, Oceano and Cayucos are being advised by the County Office of Emergency Services to evacuate to high ground immediately.
Specific areas that need to evacuate are:
All areas of Port San Luis, including the pier, beaches and parking lot; All of downtown Avila Beach, including the beach; All residents and properties along creeks that flood, including Sycamore Hot Springs, Avila Valley Barn, Avila Hot Springs, Ocean Canyon Pines Resorts and Avila Beach Drive; Hidden Creek Canyon Road and Bellevue Orchard Drive residents and Bellevue-Santa Fe school. Pismo Coast Village(a temporary evacuation center is being opened in the rear parking lot of the Five Cities Center behind Marshall's); All areas of Oceano west of Highway 1 from Grand Avenue south to 24th Street.(a temporary evacuation center is being opened in the rear parking lot of the Five Cities Center behind Marshall's); Cayucos areas west of the ocean from Old Creek North to Lucerne at Highway 1 (a temporary evacuation center is being opened at St. Joseph's Church) The County Office of Emergency Services plans to provide more information as soon as possible.
Registered Member #1675 Joined: Tue Nov 25 2008, 09:29AM : Posts: 3301
Honolulu (CNN) -- Tsunami waves resulting from Japan's deadly earthquake rolled onto the Hawaiian Islands about every 15 minutes Friday morning, bringing waves of nearly 7 feet to a harbor in Maui, authorities said.
No significant damage had been reported two hours after the first waves arrived, but officials said they will know more after sunrise.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center predicted the waves "are not going to be a major damaging event" for Hawaii, but will cause scattered damage, particularly to harbors and coastal facilities.
It appeared the state's residents had heeded calls to move away from the coast. Honolulu officials told residents to "be aware that inundation effects could continue for several hours."
Tsunami waves strike Japan
Buildings, windows damaged in Japan
Witness deals with quake terror
Quake causes ceiling to collapse "We called this one right," said center geophysicist Gerard Fryer. "This evacuation was necessary."
Waves of between 6 and 7 feet were reported on the island of Maui, said Fryer, adding it was difficult to tell what would happen on all the islands. "We have significant energy bouncing around the Hawaiian Islands."
Waves of about 3 feet were reported on Hilo.
Fryer said the waves are rolling in about 15 minutes apart. Forecasters said some areas may see waves of up to 9 feet.
A tsunami warning was in effect until at least 7 a.m. (10 a.m. ET).
Communities along much of the U.S. West Coast were under tsunami warnings, too.
The National Weather Service said the waves could hit Oregon and California between 7:15 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. local time (10:15-10:30 a.m. ET).
The first impact in Hawaii was felt shortly after 3:07 a.m. (8:07 a.m. ET), according to Hawaii State Civil Defense, which issued a tsunami warning.
Tidal gauge readings on the southern side of the Hawaiian island of Kauai were "somewhat encouraging," CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano said.
Honolulu was planning for several contingencies, because it is not certain how large the waves could be and where they may rush inland, Mayor Peter Carlisle told CNN.
"It is a very difficult situation to confront," Carlisle said.
Hawaii Public Radio news director Bill Dorman told CNN some roads were closed as a precaution.
Hawaiian emergency officials reminded residents that tsunami evacuation maps can be found in front of their telephone directories. People were advised not to make unnecessary phone calls and a coastal evacuation was conducted.
Chief Petty Officer Kurt Fredrickson in Honolulu told CNN the U.S. Coast Guard has been working with local port authorities and harbor masters to get the word to all mariners to get out to sea.
The Coast Guard prepared for the worst-case scenario, Frederickson said. "We are moving our assets out to sea. We are moving our aircraft to more suitable locations."
The threat of a tsunami prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue a warning for at least 50 countries or territories around the Pacific after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan Friday. The warning for Guam was later lifted.
Warnings also were in effect for coastal areas of California and Oregon from Point Concepcion, California, to the Oregon-Washington border, according to the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
A warning also was in effect also for Alaska, from Amchitka Pass to Attu, and in Canada's British Columbia.
President Barack Obama said he instructed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be prepared to help Hawaii and other U.S. regions "that could be affected" by the disaster.
He also said the United States "stands ready to help the Japanese people" slammed by a destructive tsunami.
CNN iReporter Ken Papagno, who lives on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, recorded sirens that sounded throughout the island.
Hawaii had a tsunami scare in February 2010 after an 8.9-magniture earthquake hit Chile. A warning cancellation occurred nearly two hours after the first waves came ashore. Coast Guard crews said they had found no significant damage to ports or waterways as a result of the tsunami, ending a significant evacuation to higher ground.
Registered Member #1675 Joined: Tue Nov 25 2008, 09:29AM : Posts: 3301
A TSUNAMI ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE IMMEDIATE COAST AND HARBORS SOUTH OF POINT CONCEPTION... BASED ON THE LATEST TELECONFERENCE AND PRELIMINARY MODEL INFORMATION... THERE IS NO CHANGE TO THE EXPECTED FORECAST TSUNAMI AMPLITUDES ALONG THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST. COASTAL AREAS NORTH OF POINT CONCEPTION WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE A TSUNAMI INUNDATION BETWEEN 3.5 TO 7 FEET. HIGHEST WAVE INUNDATION TO AROUND 7 FEET CAN BE EXPECTED AROUND PORT SAN LUIS. FOR AREAS SOUTH OF POINT CONCEPTION...EXPECTED TSUNAMI WAVE HEIGHTS OF 2 FEET TO AROUND 3 FEET CAN BE EXPECTED FROM SANTA BARBARA TO LONG BEACH. THE INITIAL WAVE ARRIVAL WILL BEGIN WITHIN 15 MINUTES OF THE ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIMES LISTED BELOW: PORT SAN LUIS HARBOR...AT 803 AM PST. POINT CONCEPTION.......AT 757 AM PST SANTA BARBARA HARBOR...AT 817 AM PST. RINCON.................AT 828 AM PST SANTA MONICA HARBOR....AT 831 AM PST. SAN PEDRO HARBOR.......AT 832 AM PST. NEW INFORMATION... THE LATEST EXPECTED TSUNAMI WAVE HEIGHT AMPLITUDES... MORRO BAY...............3.9 FT PORT SAN LUIS HARBOR....7.1 FT PISMO BEACH.............2.4 FT SANTA MARIA.............3.3 FT SANTA BARBARA...........1.6 FT CARPINTERIA.............1.6 FT VENTURA.................2.9 FT MALIBU..................1.2 FT SANTA MONICA............2.8 FT REDONDO BEACH...........2.1 FT SAN PEDRO HARBOR........1.3 FT HUNTINGTON BEACH........2.3 FT THE TSUNAMI IS A RESULT OF A LARGE EARTHQUAKE WITH A PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE OF 8.9 ON THE RICHTER SCALE THAT OCCURRED AT 945 PM PST LAST EVENING. THE EARTHQUAKE LOCATION WAS JUST OFFSHORE OF JAPAN.
Instruction: REMEMBER... THESE EXPECTED TSUNAMI WAVE AMPLITUDES ARE HEIGHTS BEYOND NORMAL SEA LEVELS. THEY WILL LOOK LIKE AN ELEVATION OF SEA LEVEL IN WHICH THE TSUNAMI WAVE AMPLITUDE WILL RETAIN THIS RISE FOR 10 TO 15 MINUTES... BEFORE RECEDING AND RETURNING AGAIN... .AND REPEATING FOR UP TO 10 HOURS IN VERY STRONG CURRENTS. RECOMMENDED ACTIONS... PERSONS IN LOW-LYING COASTAL AREAS SHOULD MOVE INLAND TO HIGHER GROUND AND BE ALERT TO INSTRUCTIONS FROM THEIR LOCAL EMERGENCY OFFICIALS. TSUNAMIS OFTEN ARRIVE AS A SERIES OF WAVES WHICH COULD BE DANGEROUS FOR AS MUCH AS 10 HOURS AFTER THE INITIAL WAVE ARRIVAL. A TSUNAMI ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR COASTAL AREAS SOUTH OF POINT CONCEPTION. A TSUNAMI ADVISORY MEANS THAT A TSUNAMI CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG CURRENTS OR WAVES DANGEROUS TO PERSONS IN OR NEAR THE WATER AS WELL AS BOATS MOORED IN HARBORS IS IMMINENT OR EXPECTED. A TSUNAMI WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN A POTENTIAL TSUNAMI WITH SIGNIFICANT WIDESPREAD INUNDATION IS IMMINENT OR EXPECTED. WARNINGS ALERT THE PUBLIC THAT WIDESPREAD...DANGEROUS COASTAL FLOODING ACCOMPANIED BY POWERFUL CURRENTS IS POSSIBLE AND MAY CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS AFTER THE INITIAL WAVE. WARNINGS ALSO ALERT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS TO TAKE ACTION FOR THE ENTIRE TSUNAMI HAZARD ZONE. APPROPRIATE ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY LOCAL OFFICIALS MAY INCLUDE THE EVACUATION OF LOW-LYING COASTAL AREAS AND REPOSITIONING OF SHIPS TO DEEP WATERS WHEN THERE IS TIME TO SAFELY DO SO.
Area: CATALINA ISLAND-LOS ANGELES COUNTY COAST INCLUDING DOWNTOWN LOSANGELES-SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY CENTRAL COAST-SANTA BARBARA COUNTYCENTRAL COAST-SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SOUTH COAST-VENTURA COUNTY COAST-
Affected Counties or parts of: Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles
Registered Member #1675 Joined: Tue Nov 25 2008, 09:29AM : Posts: 3301
TOKYO -- A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control.
Hours later, the tsunami hit Hawaii and warnings blanketed the Pacific, putting areas on alert as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast. In Japan, the area around a nuclear power plant in the northeast was evacuated after the reactor's cooling system failed.
(SCROLL DOWN FOR THE LATEST UPDATES)
Police said 200 to 300 bodies were found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai, the city in Miyagi prefecture (state) closest to the quake's epicenter. Another 88 were confirmed killed and at least 349 were missing. The death toll was likely to continue climbing given the scale of the disaster.
The magnitude-8.9 offshore quake unleashed a 23-foot (seven-meter) tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0.
Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the epicenter. A large section of Kesennuma, a town of 70,000 people in Miyagi, burned furiously into the night with no apparent hope of the flames being extinguished, public broadcaster NHK said.
"The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a news conference.
Story continues below AdvertisementThe government ordered thousands of residents near a nuclear power plant in Onahama city to move back at least two miles (three kilometers) from the plant. The reactor was not leaking radiation but its core remained hot even after a shutdown. The plant is 170 miles (270 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.
Trouble was reported at two other nuclear plants as well, but there was no radiation leak at either.
Japan's coast guard said it was searching for 80 dock workers working on a ship that was swept away from a shipyard in Miyagi.
Even for a country used to earthquakes, this one was of horrific proportions because of the tsunami that crashed ashore, swallowing everything in its path as it surged several miles (kilometers) inland before retreating. The apocalyptic images of surging water and uncontrolled conflagrations broadcast by Japanese TV networks resembled scenes from a Hollywood disaster movie.
Large fishing boats and other sea vessels rode high waves into the cities, slamming against overpasses or scraping under them and snapping power lines along the way. Upturned and partially submerged vehicles were seen bobbing in the water. Ships anchored in ports crashed against each other.
The tsunami roared over embankments, washing anything in its path inland before reversing directions and carrying the cars, homes and other debris out to sea. Flames shot from some of the houses, probably because of burst gas pipes.
Waves of muddy waters flowed over farmland near Sendai, carrying buildings, some on fire, inland as cars attempted to drive away. Sendai airport was inundated with cars, trucks, buses and thick mud deposited over its runways.
The highways to the worst-hit coastal areas were buckled and communications, including telephone lines, were snapped. Train services in northeastern Japan and in Tokyo, which normally serve 10 million people a day, were also suspended, leaving untold numbers stranded in stations or roaming the streets. Tokyo's Narita airport was closed indefinitely.
Jesse Johnson, a native of the U.S. state of Nevada who lives in Chiba, north of Tokyo, was eating at a sushi restaurant with his wife when the quake hit.
"At first it didn't feel unusual, but then it went on and on. So I got myself and my wife under the table," he told The Associated Press. "I've lived in Japan for 10 years, and I've never felt anything like this before. The aftershocks keep coming. It's gotten to the point where I don't know whether it's me shaking or an earthquake."
NHK said more than 4 million buildings were without power in Tokyo and its suburbs.
As night fell, the streets were jammed with cars, buses and trucks trying to get around and out of the city. Pedestrians swarmed the sidewalks to walk home, or at least find a warm place to spend the night as the temperatures dropped.
Tomoko Suzuki and her elderly mother stood on a crowded corner in central Tokyo, unable to get up to their 29th-floor condominium because the elevator wasn't working. They unsuccessfully tried to hail a taxi to go to a relative's house. They called around to dozens of hotels, but they were full.
"We are so cold," said Suzuki. "We really don't know what to do."
A large fire erupted at the Cosmo oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture and burned out of control with 100-foot (30 meter) -high flames whipping into the sky.
"Our initial assessment indicates that there has already been enormous damage," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said. "We will make maximum relief effort based on that assessment."
He said the Defense Ministry was sending troops to the quake-hit region. A utility aircraft and several helicopters were on the way.
Also in Miyagi, a fire broke out in a turbine building of a nuclear power plant, but it was later extinguished, said Tohoku Electric Power Co. the company said.
A reactor area of a nearby plant was leaking water, the company said. But it was unclear if the leak was caused by tsunami water or something else. There were no reports of radioactive leaks at any of Japan's nuclear plants.
Jefferies International Limited, a global investment banking group, said it estimated overall losses to be about $10 billion.
Hiroshi Sato, a disaster management official in northern Iwate prefecture, said officials were having trouble getting an overall picture of the destruction.
"We don't even know the extent of damage. Roads were badly damaged and cut off as tsunami washed away debris, cars and many other things," he said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the 2:46 p.m. quake was a magnitude 8.9, the biggest earthquake to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s, and one of the biggest ever recorded in the world.
The quake struck at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), about 80 miles (125 kilometers) off the eastern coast, the agency said. The area is 240 miles (380 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo. Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday that caused no damage.
A tsunami warning was extended to a number of areas in the Pacific, Southeast Asian and Latin American nations, including Japan, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Chile. In the Philippines, authorities ordered an evacuation of coastal communities, but no unusual waves were reported.
Thousands of people fled their homes in Indonesia after officials warned of a tsunami up to 6 feet (2 meters) high. But waves of only 4 inches (10 centimeters) were measured. No big waves came to the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory, either.
The first waves hit Hawaii about 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT) Friday. A tsunami at least 3 feet (a meter) high were recorded on Oahu and Kauai, and officials warned that the waves would continue and could become larger.
Japan's worst previous quake was in 1923 in Kanto, an 8.3-magnitude temblor that killed 143,000 people, according to USGS. A 7.2-magnitude quake in Kobe city in 1996 killed 6,400 people.
Japan lies on the "Ring of Fire" - an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching around the Pacific where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur, including the one that triggered the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami that killed an estimated 230,000 people in 12 nations. A magnitude-8.8 temblor that shook central Chile last February also generated a tsunami and killed 524 people
TYPE: TRAFFIC INCIDENT AREA: BIG BEAR CITY UNITS: ME96 R96 MA291 0 0XX 1536 116 5632 - BBC WINDY POINT X 2 VEH TC,RP WAS ON THE LAKE NO FURTHER DESC TO CHP, BDC _1328747 SAN BERNARDINO C
MAJOR EARTHQUAKE NEAR JAPAN
