Tsunami warning issued for Hawaii, tsunami watch issued for Oregon and Washington

2011-03-11 15:13:30 GMT+7 (ICT)

HONOLULU (BNO NEWS) -- A tsunami warning was issued for the U.S. state of Hawaii on late Thursday evening, officials said, while tsunami watches were issued for parts of the Oregon and Washington state coastlines.

The warning and watches were issued after a massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan, creating huge tsunamis that have devastated parts of Japan. It was followed by a series of major aftershocks, including one of 7.1 on the Richter scale.

"A tsunami has been generated that could cause damage along coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin. "Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property."

Emergency sirens were being sounded across Hawaii, and officials are expected to order evacuations of coastlines in case a large tsunami reaches the islands.

For the mainland of the United States, the National Weather Service issued a tsunami watch for the south Washington and north and central Oregon coasts. "Arrival of an initial wave is estimated to arrive around 724 am Friday for the Washington and Oregon coasts. Stand by for updates," a bulletin said. Other areas of mainland U.S. are currently not under a tsunami watch or warning.

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