Hawaii braces for quake tsunamis

Thousands of people have been evacuated from the coast in Hawaii as it braces for a series of tsunamis in the wake of the Japanese earthquake.

The first warning sirens went off at about 2200 local time, (0800GMT Friday) and the first waves were expected at 1307 GMT.

US President Barack Obama said he was monitoring the threat to Hawaii, his home state, and the US West Coast.

About 30,000 residents live in Hawaii’s coastal inundation zones.

The first wave of the tsunami passed through Midway Island – a small atoll at the north-western end of the Hawaiian archipelago – at about 1125 GMT, bringing a wave of more than 8ft, the local Star Advertiser newspaper reported.

Waves of about 3-6ft were expected to hit Hawaii’s main islands.

The main airports on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii have been shut down, and the US Navy has ordered all warships in Pearl Harbor to remain in port in case they are needed for rescue missions.

‘Difficult situation’

On the tourist hub in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, long queues have been building up at petrol stations and reports said people were rushing to stores to stock up on emergency supplies and water.

Central Honolulu and Waikiki were packed with motorists trying to leave for higher ground and for shelters set up by the state, Reuters reported.

Peter Carlisle, mayor of Honolulu, told CNN: “It is a difficult situation to confront and precautions for the safety of human life will have to be at the forefront of our thinking.”

The tsunamis were triggered by a massive earthquake which hit the north-east of Japan, at 1446 local time (0546 GMT).

Japanese television showed cars, ships and even buildings being swept away by a vast wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake.

Seismologists say it is one of the largest earthquakes to hit Japan for many years.

A tsunami warning was extended across the Pacific to North and South America.

The West Coast of the US is expecting any tsunamis generated by the quake to hit land at 0745 local time (1545 GMT).