Video below of live coverage and horrible images of cars, houses, farms and more being swept away by the Tsunami that hit Japan after a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake:
A state of emergency has been called, 200-300 bodies found in the port city of Sendai and many more unaccounted for still.
The effects were felt as far as Tokyo and tsunami warnings were extended across the Pacific to North and South America.
More from BBC, NYT, CNN and AP.
More video below:
West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center issued warnings on 03/11/2011 at 12:51AM PST for coastal areas of California and Oregon from Point Concepcion, California to the Oregon-Washington border, coastal areas of Alaska from Amchitka Pass, Alaska (125 miles W of Adak) to Attu, Alaska, coastal areas of California from the California-Mexico border to Point Concepcion, California and coastal areas of Washington, British Columbia and Alaska from the Oregon-Washington border to Amchitka Pass, Alaska (125 miles W of Adak).
More from West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center here and here.
In Hawaii @ 6:38 am LA Times reports:
Reporting from Oahu, Hawaii and Los Angeles --
Tsunami waves have reached Hawaii, but the first waves hitting the state are only about a foot higher than usual, according to officials and local news reports.
Officials had ordered an evacuation of Hawaii's coastal areas after the devastating 8.9 earthquake near Japan, which was expected to begin hitting the state at about 3 a.m. local time, or 5 a.m. Pacific time. Authorities warned of maximum wave heights of up to 6 feet.
There have been no immediate reports of widespread damage. Still, authorities said more tsunami waves were expected and it was too early to tell whether Hawaii would escape harm.
By 8AM more news from Hawaii, via SFGate:
Tsunami waves swamped Hawaii beaches and brushed the U.S. western coast Friday but didn't immediately cause major damage after devastating Japan and sparking evacuations throughout the Pacific.
Kauai was the first of the Hawaiian islands hit by the tsunami, which was caused by an earthquake in Japan, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. Water rushed ashore in Honolulu, covering the beach in Waikiki and surging over a break wall in the world-famous resort but stopping short of the area's high-rise hotels.
Waves about 7 feet high were recorded on Maui, and 3 feet in Oahu and Kauai. Officials warned that the waves would continue and could become larger, and a scientist at the tsunami warning center said there was likely some damage to mooring facilities and piers.
"We called this right. This evacuation was necessary," said geophysicist Gerard Fryer in Hawaii. "There's absolutely no question, this was the right thing to do."
More video below:
Oil refinery ablaze after devastating Japan earthquake, tsunami
[Update] The U.S. has delivered coolant to Japan for a Japanese nuclear plant affected by a massive earthquake according to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
[Update] Business Insider reports 88,000 people missing... note that some could simply be stranded.
More footage from TV9 Japan below:
News is reporting that the aftershocks are expected and could be almost as strong and cause yet more Tsunamis.
More video from CBS at YouTube, video embedding disabled, so click over.
Video of video shot as the earthquake was hitting Japan, by IReporter at CNN.
At 3:29 into the next video the newscaster actually says that while Hawaii prepares for the Tsunami, Hawaii suffered a smaller 4.5 magnitude earthquake. I haven't heard that anywhere else yet, but she says it.
More as news comes out.
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