Tsunami In Japan And Hawaii

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the 8.9-magnitude earthquake was the strongest in the country's history. Television footage showed towering waves surging toward the northeastern shoreline, pulling cars into the water and knocking boats and buildings onto their sides.


Initial forecasts warned of potential devastation throughout the Pacific Rim, including Hawaii, and reaching east around the globe to the continental United States. But the waves that reached Hawaii about 8 a.m. Washington time were relatively modest, and officials said the tsunami would have minimal impact on the West Coast.

The Tsunami later hit the shores of Hawaii. Tsunami waves swamped Hawaii beaches and severely damaged harbors in California after devastating Japan and sparking evacuations throughout the Pacific. 


Water rushed up on roadways and into hotel lobbies on the Big Island and low-lying areas in Maui were flooded as 7-foot waves crashed ashore. Large waves also hit the U.S. western coast, shaking loose boats that weren't moved in time and tearing apart wooden docks in at least two California harbors.


The waves didn't make it over a 20-foot break wall protecting the rest of the city, and no serious injuries or home damage was immediately reported. Scientists warned that the first tsunami waves are not always the strongest, and officials said people in Hawaii and along the West Coast should remain vigilant. Still, the tsunami warning was downgraded to an advisory in Hawaii, and Gov. Neil Abercrombie said the islands were "fortunate almost beyond words."