A massive earthquake (8.9 on the Richter scale) hit Japan at approximately 3 P.M. Friday, causing blackouts, fires, and a 30-foot tsunami that hit Japan shortly after along with many aftershocks.
Pacific nations and eastern coastal cities of Russia are evacuating.
The first waves of the tsunami that hit Japan reached Hawaii, Oregon, and California with minimal damage this morning. The western coasts of North, Central, and South America and nearby islands prepared for bigger waves later this afternoon.
The tsunamis that hit the United States ranged in size from three to seven feet, and did not cause much initial damage; however, waves could become bigger as time goes on.
According to ABC News, tsunami-related waves reached Hawaii at around 7:45 AM local time. The waves were lower than expected as of yet, only one foot higher than the areas average wave size, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Tsunami waves reached Port Orford, Oregon at around 8:30 local time. Three- to six-foot waves have also reached areas around San Francisco and Santa Cruz, California, according to the Weather Channel’s Twitter feed.
Jeff Bloom, a resident of San Diego, California, has spent the morning watching the news for information about northern Califorina and his family. He said, “ I have family in Santa Cruz and they’ve had moderate damage in areas along the coast. Everything has been really hectic, but so far all the bad weather has been north of us.”
Residents have been making non-mandatory evacuations inland or to higher ground after sirens started blaring along the Pacific Coast.
An 8.9 earthquake on the seismic scale hit Japan at approximately 3 P.M. Friday, causing blackouts, fires, and a tsunami. The 30-foot tsunami hit Japan soon after, along with many aftershocks.
The tsunami was started by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan. The earthquake also caused fires and blackouts. The tsunami has been traveling from Japan at speeds of 500 miles per hour. The tidal wave was initially 23 feet tall and killed hundreds of people there, according to Fox News. Google released a person-finder for people searching for victims.
Some Manual students were concerned about further damage. Mickey Johnson (12) said, “I’m really worried for Hawaii and the West Coast.”
Ms. Deborah Cruze (Social Studies) played the news throughout her economics classes, incorporating the tsunami and earthquake into their current stocks unit. “[Damage due to the tsunami] will be a big problem with the stock market,” she said.
By Matthew McCardwell and Emily McConville
