An 8.9 earthquake that devastated Japan at 2:46 PM local time Friday (March 11, 2011) has triggered Tsunami warnings across the Pacific according to the the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Already there have been more than 300 deaths reported in Japan.
Waves have begun hitting the Hawaiian Islands and beaches are closed. As of 4:30 AM (HST) there has been no real damage, however, no “all clear” sent yet in the Islands.
Some California beaches are closed and warning are in effect all along the West Coast.
Reports from the action community are rolling in via Twitter and Facebook. Here are just a few:
Earlier in the night Surfer Clay Marzo said via Twitter: “So im SUPPOSE to be getting off this plane at 2am’ish hawaii time…. this gives me so much time…… Hope my house is high enough :(”
Les ettes owner Carmela Fleury, who lives in Japan with her husband Ivar, reported this morning via facebook: “All good. Thanks for the messages. Ivar is okay. His office and our home are not, but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.”
Camp of Champions‘ Ken Achenbach reported via facebook that he left Japan only a couple hours before the quake hit: “Stoked that we left Tokyo a couple hours before the earthquake. Super stoked our friends in Japan are OK.”
Follow the jump for video footage of the Tsunami hitting Japan.
[Link: NOAA]
