Tsunami to Hit Hawaii, other Pacific Islands - 367

photo by Chuck Babbitt / istockphoto

(UPDATES BELOW)

At about six o’clock his morning residents of Hawaii awoke to the sound of sirens. The reason for alarm was unlikely, since an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 actually struck in the country of Chile. That earthquake caused devastation, a collapsed highway, and killed at least 82 people.

But now Hawaii, Australia, and certain parts of Asia await more aftermath in the form of a tsunami. Sirens have been warning residents to move inland from coastal areas in anticipation of large tsunami waves. They are expected to hit Hawaiian islands around 11:00 am local time, and an entire Hawaii Tsunami Information website sprang up almost instantly to monitor the situation in real-time.

Hawaiian CBS Station KGMB reported that a six-foot wave hit French Polynesia at 10:45 am Pacific Time and that experts have warned of multiple waves in all affected areas. 

Twitter users have been disseminating information about the tsunami’s arrival in Hawaii under the hashtag #hitsunami

View a live feed of local Hawaii CBS Station KGMB news below:

Live video by Ustream

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Update on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 4:36PM by Galavanting

As of 12:30 pm local Hawaii time, several moderate waves thought to be part of the tsunami have occured, with no damage indicated by those on the ground. However, the Hawaii State Civil Defense have not retracted the tsunami warning and are still monitoring the situation in case more severe waves develop.