Chile Hit by 8.8 Magnitude Earthquake; Hawaii Braces for Tsunami

Warning sirens blare after Chile temblor triggers potentially deadly wave

Video

Feb. 27, 2010

EWA BEACH, Hawaii – A tsunami triggered by the Chilean earthquake raced across the Pacific Ocean on Saturday, threatening Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast as well as hundreds of islands from the bottom of the planet to the top.

Sirens blared in Hawaii to alert residents to the potential waves. Nine small planes equipped with loudspeakers flew along the shoreline, warning beachgoers. On several South Pacific islands hit by a tsunami last fall, police evacuated tens of thousands of coastal residents.

The first waves in Hawaii were expected to hit shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday (3 p.m. CST; 2100 GMT) and measure roughly 8 feet at Hilo. Most Pacific Rim nations did not immediately order evacuations, but advised people in low-lying areas to be on the lookout. …

A tsunami warning – the highest alert level – was in effect for Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Samoa and dozens of other Pacific islands. An advisory – the lowest level – includes California, Oregon, Washington state, parts of Alaska, and coastal British Colombia. …

President Barack Obama urged people to follow instructions about tsunami warnings. …

Wave may travel up to 600 mph

Waves were likely to hit Asian, Australian and New Zealand shores within 24 hours of Saturday’s quake. A tsunami wave can travel at up to 600 mph, said Jenifer Rhoades, tsunami program manager at the National Weather Service in Washington, DC. …

In Hilo, officials cordoned off the first three blocks next to the beach. A few people watched the still ocean as a whale swam off the coast, but streets were mostly empty as tsunami sirens blared. …

Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle … declared a state of emergency as the island chain prepares for possible tsunami damage. …

Late update

Tsunami Expert: Hawaii ˜Dodged a Bullet

Hawaii largely unscathed by waves caused by massive Chilean temblor

Still images captured from video over a two-hour period show the changing water color and wave action in Hilo Bay during the time the first tsunami waves were expected following the Chilean earthquake. (Photo credit: MSNBC)

Feb. 27, 2010

TOKYO – With a rapt world watching the drama unfold on live television, a tsunami raced across a quarter of the globe on Saturday and set off fears of a repeat of the carnage that caught the world off guard in Asia in 2004. …

Hawaii had originally prepared to bear the brunt of the damage, but the tsunami was smaller than anticipated.

“We dodged a bullet, said Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist for the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii. …

The tsunami caused a series of surges in Hawaii that were about 20 minutes apart, and the waves arrived later and smaller than originally predicted. The highest wave at Hilo measured 5.5 feet high, while Maui saw some as high as 6.5 feet. …

—— 

FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago – February 27, 2009

Afghan men shout anti-U.S. slogans during a demonstration against coalition forces in Ghazni, southwest of Kabul, on Friday, Feb. 27, 2009. (Photo credit: Rahmat Nikzad / AP)

GOP Support for Iraq Pullout

One-year retrospective: One year ago today, I reported that President Barack Obama won crucial backing for his Iraq military withdrawal plan from leading Congressional Republicans, including Senator John McCain and Ohio Rep. John A. Boehner, the House minority leader.