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A devastating 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on Friday triggered tsunami alerts across the Pacific from the coast of California to Indonesia, though no damage was reported. The warnings stretched from Asia's Pacific rim to other side of the ocean, with the United States alerting Hawaii, the northern and central California coast, the Oregon coast and parts of Alaska, and urging residents to clear beaches and stay out of marinas. US President Barack Obama said he was monitoring the tsunami threat to his home state of Hawaii and the US West Coast after expressing condolences to those killed in the earthquake and offering aid to Japan. French Polynesia sounded a tsunami alert Friday and New Caledonia ordered residents to evacuate coastal areas following the quake. New Zealand's civil defense issued a tsunami marine warning, adding that no threat to land was expected when the tsunami arrived. "Historical events and pre-calculated tsunami models indicate that the largest effects (less than one-meter wave heights at the coastline) is expected along the coasts of the central and northern North Island," it said. However, Australia said it would dodge the effects of the Japanese quake. "We are confident that, at this magnitude, there's no risk to Australia," Chris Ryan, codirector of the joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre, told AFP, adding that no local tsunami warnings had been declared. According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the effects of the massive Japanese quake are expected to hit areas of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Johnston and the Solomon Islands in the coming hours. Indonesia warned people living in its eastern areas – including Papua, Maluku and North Sulawesi – to be on guard for tsunamis. Latin American nations, from Mexico to Chile, also warned seaside populations to take precautions. Mexico, which was bracing for the tsunami to work its way down its coast Friday between 1545 GMT to 2045 GMT, warned of waves of about two meters and issued a bulletin for its Pacific coastline. Tourists in the seaside resorts of Los Cabos and Acapulco were told to remain far from the beaches. Agencies |
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