Strollerderby

Tsunami May Hit U.S. West Coast After Earthquake In Japan

Posted by danielle sullivan on March 11th, 2011 at 9:24 am
tsunami Tsunami May Hit U.S. West Coast After Earthquake In Japan

West Coast may feel ripple effects from Japan’s 8.9 earthquake overnight.

I was hurrying through the rooms this morning getting my kids ready for school when I heard the newscaster say a tsunami was hitting the United States. I thought I heard wrong, but then I took a second look at the news stations.

Overnight an 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit Japan, and repercussions will be felt in Hawaii and possibly our West Coast.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center estimated that the first tsunami wave would arrive in Hawaii at roughly 3 a.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Standard time Friday (which is a little over 8am Eastern time). Separate warnings were issued covering the coastal areas of California and Oregon.

Warnings don’t necessarily mean that a tsunami is imminent. Rather when a warning is issued, all residents in the area who are near the beach or in low-lying regions should move immediately inland to higher ground.

According to Market Watch the timing of the tsunamis are set to hit are as follows:

Wave heights are difficult to forecast and are amplified by an irregular shoreline, the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said in an alert. Forecast amplitudes above sea level varied from around 10 centimeters to as much as 2.5 meters (around 8 feet), according to data on the group’s website.

If a tsunami strikes, it would be expected to hit Newport, Ore., at about 7:26 a.m. local time, or 10:26 a.m. Eastern time, and San Francisco at about 8:08 a.m. local time, or 11:08 a.m. Eastern time, according to estimates from the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.

President Barack Obama urged residents to stay tuned to the news and local warnings: “We are asking all our citizens in the affected region to listen to their state and local officials as I have instructed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be ready to assist Hawaii and the rest of the U.S. states and territories that could be affected.”

Image: Wikipedia

 Tsunami May Hit U.S. West Coast After Earthquake In Japan

Go Back To Strollerderby

Add your take:

Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.


Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes

Most Popular on Facebook

Best of Babble.com


  • Lori Garcia
  • Joslyn Gray
  • Amber Doty
  • Julianna Miner
  • Monica Bielanko
  • Sierra Black
  • Meredith Carroll
  • Carolyn Castiglia
  • Sunny Chanel
  • Madeline Holler
  • Rebecca Odes
  • Danielle Smith
  • Danielle Sullivan
  • Katherine Stone
  • Disney Online Moms & Family Portfolio

    The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice. Click here for additional information. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Interest-Based Ads

    More in Strollerderby (50 of 11490 articles)