6-ft Tsunami wave strikes California coast
Pastor Dale Morgan
6-ft Tsunami wave strikes California coast*
POSTED: 0456 GMT (1256 HKT), November 16, 2006
TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Although tsunami warnings and watches for parts of
Japan and the Pacific Basin were lifted Wednesday, hours after an
8.3-magnitude underwater earthquake struck the region, large waves were
reported in Hawaii and on the western coast of the United States.
A 6-foot wave struck Crescent City Harbor in Crescent City, California,
and caused "extensive damage" Wednesday afternoon, according to a
National Weather Service advisory. In addition, the weather service said
tide gauges along the coast of northern and central California have
measured surge waves of 1 to 3 feet.
Residents along Japan's Pacific coast had been told to flee the tsunami
after the quake hit Wednesday at 8:14 p.m. (1114 GMT) deep under the
Pacific Ocean about 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles) northeast of Tokyo.
(How earthquakes are measured)
A wave measuring about 40 centimeters (16 inches) did wash up on some
eastern Pacific coastal areas of Japan, officials there said, but
nothing like the wave of almost 2 meters (about 6 feet) that had been
predicted as a possibility.
At Ewa Beach, Hawaii, a 5-foot wave flooded parking lots, according to
CNN affiliate KHON. Ewa Beach is on the southern coast of the Hawaiian
island of Oahu.
Initially, tsunami warnings and watches were issued for Hawaii and the
coasts of Washington state, British Columbia and Alaska by the Pacific
Tsunami Warning Center.
However, Japan's Meteorological Agency, on its Web site, showed watches
still in effect for most of the eastern Pacific coast of Hokkaido.
The tsunami warning had been issued for eastern Hokkaido, Japan's
northernmost island, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) said. ( How the tsunami alert system works)
"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive
tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicenter
within minutes to hours," the NOAA said. (Watch as tsunami warning
issued for Japan -- 2:50)
According to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, a
division of the NOAA, a tsunami warning was issued for the Alaska
coastal areas from Sand Point to Attu.
A tsunami watch was also issued for British Columbia and parts of
Washington state. ( Read where tsunami warnings were issued after the quake)
"A tsunami warning means that all coastal residents in the warning area
who are near the beach or in low-lying regions should move immediately
inland to higher ground," NOAA said.
About 30,000 people live in the Kuril islands, which is located 1100
kilometers north of mainland Japan.
Keiichi Kimura, a Hokkaido Prefectural (state) police officer, told The
Associated Press there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage
from the earthquake.
Railway officials on Hokkaido stopped trains at nearby stations as a
precautionary step, Japan's primary public broadcasting source NHK said.
Tsunami waves -- generated by earthquakes -- are often barely noticeable
in the ocean but can rise to great heights once they arrive at shore.
A 9.1-magnitude quake off the coast of Indonesia on December 26, 2004
caused a tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people in 11 countries.