Waves common for a stormy springtime day crash into the beach in Moclips,giubbotti moncler, Washington,franklin marshall, March 11,polo ralph lauren, 2011. A tsunami caused by an earthquake in Japan reached the west coast of the U.S. early Friday, though its impact was minimal.
VOA News March 11,louboutin ps cher, 2011 - The first tsunami waves have reached the U.S. West Coast after sweeping past the country's Pacific island state of Hawaii. There have been no immediate reports of casualties in the U.S.
Waves of a meter or more hit the coastal state of Oregon on the U.S. mainland Friday. Residents in Oregon and northern California have been advised to evacuate low-lying areas. Emergency officials warned of possible flooding spawned by the tsunami, which developed after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan.
Waves of up to two meters hit the Hawaiian chain of islands, swamping the beach at the Waikiki resort on the island of Oahu. But there were no immediate reports of widespread damage.
In Washington, White Houtilize Chief of Staff Bill Daley said there did not emerge to be "any enormous impact" from the tsunami in Hawaii. He said the "enormous fears" about damage on the island state had "diminished greatly."
VOA's Kate Woodsome's Q&A with Bill Dorman of Hawaii Public Radio:
Emergency officials in Hawaii had hours to prepare after the quake struck. Residents in low-lying coastal areas were moved to community centers and schools on higher grounds. Many people waited in long lines to buy gas and groceries.
In a statement, President Barack Obama expressed condolences to the people of Japan and also said he has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be prepared to assist residents of Hawaii, U.S. Pacific territories and the U.S. West Coast.
Mr. Obama, who was born in Hawaii and lived there in his youth, was alerted about the earthquake and tsunami in the early hours Friday at the White House.
The U.S. Navy ordered its warships to remain in port at Pearl Harbor to support feasible rescue missions.
Emergency sirens blared throughout the night in Hawaii in advance of the tsunami. When it hit,ralph lauren, water washed ashore in the pre-dawn hours at Waikiki, but ceaseped fleeting,casque dr dre, of the region's high-rise tourist boilingels.
Meanwhile,polo ralph lauren, the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center for the West Coast and Alaska issued a tsunami warning for the entire U.S. West Coast - covering Alaska,casque beats, Washington state,ralph lauren pas cher, Oregon and California - plus the northwestern Canadian province of British Columbia.
Warnings are also posted for Mexico and components of Central and South America.
