Tsunami Hawaii warning lifted: LIVE BLOG / Chile & tsunami timeline across Pacific

1:38PM PT - Wave action is beginning in Hilo, Hawaii. Water is now rushing into the Wailoa River by Hilo Bay. The wave action is beginning. The waves are being called a "surge" as of now.

1:45 PM PT - The tsunami has begun on the eastern shores of Hawaii island.

1:47 PM PT - Some crazy people are congregating by the Duke's statue on Waikiki against the warnings of the local police.

Side note: In 1960, a tsunami that started in Chile killed 60 people in Hilo.

1:51 PM PT - A whale is coming into Hilo Bay. People thought it was a reef beginning to show. False alarm.

A witness who remembered the 1960 tsunami recalls that today's tsunami does not seem to be as strong though it's still too early to pass judgment.

1:57 PM PT - It's almost noon local time in Hawaii. Waikiki, Honolulu is empty. Reefs are now getting exposed and then being covered. People are being reminded that a tsunami is like a series of gigantic flash floods.

Scientists are warning that despite the fact that the tsunami did not arrive at the expected 11:04 AM local Hawaii time. The danger has not passed.

2:06 PM PT - Wave oscillation is every 20 minutes in Hilo. Hilo Bay is emptying and refilling +/- 2 meters. The heights are coming in at one meter heights. Two cycles have come in. The water is changing color due to churned debris from the ocean floor.

We still expect wave action for the next two hours.

2:06 PM PT - Unconfirmed minor reports of damage in Ventura, California.

2:11 PM PT - Another wave oscillation came in Hilo Bay. This is the third oscillation and the largest.

2:15 PM PT - Subtle 1 foot drops in sea level in Honolulu. Tide dropped by the Queens break on Waikiki Beach.

2:32 PM PT - The Pacific Tsunami Waring Center is very cautiously optimistic. Kahalui and Hilo wave heights are similar to Hilo. Wave oscillation is only 6 feet. Tsunami warnings are not canceled. Wave number 1 has already passed the Hawaiian islands.

2:33 PM PT - Looks like another hour before any possibility of tsunami warning cancellation.

2:39 PM PT - I am wondering if some rogue wave comes in...

2:43 PM PT - Boats that evacuated to the open ocean are beginning to sail back to Ala Wai Harbor in Honolulu despite no "All Clear" signal given by civil defense authorities.

2:45 PM PT - Fourth wave comes in Hilo Bay. The wave is in-line with the strength of the first 3 waves.

2:52 PM PT - The amazing thing is we accurately predicted the tsunami's arrival time despite a distance of 6,000 miles from Chile to Hawaii. The wave heights were off but the time of the tsunami's arrival was almost 100% dead on accurate! Kudos to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

2:57 PM PT - Though not all clear, in my opinion, I think we dodged a bullet. NOTE: The tsunami warning is still on.

3:12 PM PT - Fourth tsunami wave is hitting Ala Moana Beach. No "All Clear" yet. The fourth wave in Ala Moana is similar to the first three though it seems the largest. The bottom line is the four tsunami waves were not strong enough to cause any damage.

3:35 PM PT - Most of the grocery shelves in Hawaii were cleaned out of staples - bread, water, canned goods (I am sure the Spam was cleaned out of the shelves!). Hawaii's tsunami evacuation plans were as close to perfect and awesome as humanly possible!

3:44 PM PT - All clear. Hawaii Tsunami Warnings lifted!!! All clear! Woohoooo!!!

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I have been having a hard time finding the time line of WHEN the Chilean-triggered tsunami will get to California, Hawaii, Samoa, the Philippines, Japan, Australia and other countries in the Pacific. This is the best graphic I found from NOAA but buried under so many other pieces of news and data.

Expected impact time of Chile Tsunami across the Pacific Ocean. All times are in Eastern Time. (Source: The Washington Post)

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Chilean people and all the peoples of the Pacific.

The Chilean earthquake occurred on Friday, February 26, 2010 at 10:34:14 PM Pacific Time. Right now it is February 27, 2010 11:41 AM Pacific Time.

LOS ANGELES REGION REPORTS HIGH WAVES BUT NO TSUNAMI

The effects of the earthquake rolled into the Los Angeles region at 12:00 noon Pacific time. Los Angeles emergency officials have NOT issued a tsunami warning. The waves have begun to roll in at a maximum height of 3 feet.

There is NO tsunami warnings for the Los Angeles region. The waves are rolling in at maximum height of ONLY 3 feet. High waves are expected for several hours.




HAWAII EVACUATION ZONES



The tsunami rolls in to Hawaii around today 1:30 PM Pacific Time.



Here's the tsunami warnings for the US wast coast. http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/2010/02/27/725245/13/message725245-13.htm



Click the link for Hawaii evacuation zones. Click each of the island maps link into the specific evacuation zones in each Hawaiian island - http://www.pdc.org/index.html



Source:sfgate.com/