ACROSS THE PACIFIC:VISIONS OF a 7m wall of water travelling at jet speeds generated evacuation orders across the vast expanse of the Pacific.
From the low-lying atolls of Kiribati to Hawaii’s Waikiki beach, Chile’s Easter Island and even inland areas such as California’s Napa Valley, authorities yesterday scrambled to get their citizens out of harm’s way.
Low-lying islands that were the first in the tsunami’s path – Kiribati, Tonga, Guam – ordered people to move 30m inland and look for refuge well above sea level.
By the time the great wave roared past those islands, communities on the west coast of America were engaged in their own disaster preparations.
Authorities warned that even though the first waves brought less destruction than feared to Guam and other areas, the Pacific rim was not out of danger. “Stay off the beach,” said US National Weather Service forecaster Diana Henderson. “It’s not just one wave, it’s a series that could last up to 12 hours.”
The president reinforced the warning. “If people are told to evacuate, do as you are told,” Barack Obama told a press conference.
The Coastguard was searching for a man swept out to sea in northern California while taking pictures of tsunami waves.
Nearby, authorities in Brookings, Ore, say four people have survived after a tsunami surge swept them off a beach in Curry County and into the sea.
The five were on the beach to watch the waves generated by a massive earthquake in Japan. The Curry County sheriff’s department says two were able to get out of the water on their own, and two were rescued by law enforcement and fire officials.
Hawaii sounded warning sirens within an hour of the quake hitting Japan, sending people running from their homes in the dark to stock up with food and petrol. Pumps ran dry within hours.
The US navy ordered all warships in Pearl Harbor to remain in port and ready to support rescue missions.
People living in beach areas on Oahu and Kauai were ordered to leave their homes. In the Oahu resort area of Waikiki, tourists were moved to hotel rooms above the fourth floor.
The authorities in Maui shut down water and sewage plants to prevent their contamination.
In coastal areas of Oregon, tsunami sirens went off at about 4am local time.
Police and firefighters went door to door to warn residents to move to higher ground after an automated warning failed.
Northern counties of California also ordered evacuations. Schools were closed, and police patrolled to keep surfers off the beach.
In Crescent City, 35 boats were reported to have been crushed and the harbour area significantly damaged.
In the San Francisco Bay area, roads were closed and trains and ferries cancelled, as well as flights to Japan.
Officials told curiosity seekers to stay home, and went through parks moving homeless people away.
The first landfall on the US Pacific coast yesterday morning left relatively limited damage. The tsunami hit at low tide – with waves of about 1m – and the authorities in Oregon initially compared the effect to a winter storm.
“We’re looking at 4½-5ft [1.5m] so far,” said Don Kendall, the emergency co-ordinator for Oregon’s Curry County.
“We’re in the middle of a low tide so it’s not hitting us as bad as it would have had we had high.”
But there were sporadic reports of damaged piers and boats breaking free from their moorings. Authorities were also on alert for inland flooding as far away as California’s Napa Valley wine country.
Canada, though officially outside the main danger zone, evacuated marinas, beaches and parks in British Columbia that lie below the high-tide mark.
Mexico shuttered shops and closed roads in tourist resorts on the Baja California peninsula. Off Oaxaca, empty oil tankers were ordered out to sea. Chile ordered residents on Easter Island to make for the island’s airport, which is on higher ground.
Ecuador enacted emergency powers, giving the police and military control of the coast.
On the Galapagos Islands, tourist ships set off for deeper waters and residents were told to head for higher ground. – (Guardian service)