The first tsunami waves have reached the U.S. West Coast after sweeping past the country’s Pacific island state of Hawaii. There have been no immediate reports of casualties in the U.S.
Waves of a meter or more hit the coastal state of Oregon on the U.S. mainland Friday. Residents in Oregon and northern California have been advised to evacuate low-lying areas. Emergency officials warned of possible flooding spawned by the tsunami, which developed after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan.
Waves of up to two meters hit the Hawaiian chain of islands, swamping the beach at the Waikiki resort on the island of Oahu. But there were no immediate reports of widespread damage.
In Washington, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley said there did not appear to be "any enormous impact" from the tsunami in Hawaii. He said the "enormous fears" about damage on the island state had "diminished greatly."
Emergency officials in Hawaii had hours to prepare after the quake struck. Residents in low-lying coastal areas were moved to community centers and schools on higher grounds. Many people waited in long lines to buy gas and groceries.
In a statement, President Barack Obama expressed condolences to the people of Japan and also said he has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be prepared to assist residents of Hawaii, U.S. Pacific territories and the U.S. West Coast. 考试网
第一波海啸在袭击美国夏威夷后已抵达美国西海岸。目前还没有关于伤亡的报告。
高达一米以上的海浪星期五袭击了美国沿海的俄勒冈州。俄勒冈和加利福尼亚州北部的居民已被告知撤离低洼地区。紧急事务官员警告说，海啸有可能引起洪水。这次海啸是由日本沿海8.9级地震引起的。
高达两米的海浪袭击了夏威夷群岛，淹没了瓦胡岛的威基基度假村的海滩。但目前没有大规模财产损失的报告。
在华盛顿，白宫办公厅主任戴利说，海啸看来没有在夏威夷造成“任何巨大的影响”。他说，对这个海岛州造成损害的“巨大担忧”已经“大大减弱”了。
地震发生后，夏威夷的紧急事务官员有几个小时的准备时间。住在低洼沿海地区的居民被转移到地势较高的社区中心和学校。许多人排长队加油、购买日用品。
奥巴马总统在一份声明中向日本人民表达了哀悼之情，并说，他已指示美国联邦紧急事务管理署准备好协助夏威夷、美国太平洋领土和美国西海岸的居民。
