the tsunami an water damage and so of course that could be par worse. >> again these are pictures taken from a newsroom. you can see the shaking as a result of this earthquake that went on for quite some time. again, 2 40 miles away from the epicenter in downtown toke yochlt buildings swayed and continue to sway for half hour after the earthquake. there will be mr. swaying in japan in the next few hours, days, weeks months after as after shock continue in the next few days and weeks frequent and quite powerful. already been some 7. 3, 7. 4 in that magnitude. >> we know the nuclear power plant in japan did shut down for a time for safety check and the japanese government is report that go there was no problems with any of those plants. no radiation leaks. no troubles there with japan nuclear power system. >> tokyo japan famous bullet

train was shut down. train service shut town as we do with bart here routinely to check track and everything else but the train service was shut dow down. people got out of the train walked to the platforms. as they checked out the rail service. we have not heard whether or not the train service has resumed but we have not heard of any damage on the track either at this moment. you are looking at again pictures as the tsunami has roared through different parts. let's listen in live right now if we can. this is until. >> prime minister said. >> prime minister is speaking. >> nuclear power plant at this point no report of daniel or radioactive wave from leaking and this we have organized a team at the emergency disaster headquarters at the prime minister office and we are continuing to contact relevant

sources to confirm that there is no about damage to nuclear power plants. >> translation of the interior secretary who is speaking on >> translation of the interior secretary who is speaking on nhk television about. >> what are the damage? well, according to the second meeting of the headquarters of emergency disasters in east japan about the trains have stopped but no derailment or other mainly approximately accidents have been confirmed. >> the trains are stopped but no derailment reported. so we would have to provide relief to these people and contacting the jr train and also we will get in touch with the police as well as firefighters to confirm safety of the people who are trapped inside the train which have stopped. >> there's the interior

secretary of japan. the woman you hear is translating in english as he speaks and answers reporter questions. >> she did mention people are trapped inside some of the trains so they are obviously working to get them out of the trains. good news is none of them have derailed. >> we do know at least one person was killed in a house that collapsed in the approximately northeast of tokyo. there have been reports of a number of building collapses and as you can see from these pictures what was swept up in the tsunami, i mean clearly structure whether that's a home or farm structure hard to say at this point but look at the perspective. look at the size. see all of the cars then roof top of buildings and all of this debris who kno knows what is included. watch as it moves across this farm land just along the coast. power of this tsunami roughly 13 feet was just tremendous.

and as we have been telling you now sue he tsunami warning in effect. >> specific tsunami warning center is now estimating that the earliest arrival in hawaii of the first tsunami would be 6:00 a.m. our time 3:00 a.m. hawaiian island time. so obviously we'll be keeping an eye on that for you. >> of course. as one of the experts told us over open ocean tsunami moves roughly the speed of jet liner about 600 miles an hour so that gives you an idea of how long it might take to cross the pacific ocean before it would affect the hawaiian islands but again this is the disaster after the disaster. tsunami which is going to cause just enormous about property damage and loss of life and injury probably as you can see. it is simply unstoppable force. >> of course the tsunami warning also includes australi

australia. new zealand. mexico. central and south america so approximately we'll have to see what happens in the coming hours here as sandy has been telling us as well. >> goodness. remember few years ago 5 or 6 years ago the indonesian earthquake approximately that created terrible tsunami you saw washing ashore on the beach. so rare to see these kind of images as they happen but really does demonstrate the power of p.m. tsunami waters as they race so uncontrollably across land. >> here you see an area where obviously there's normally more water here but it is all pushed out. >> right. >> it is a little difficult to see exactly on the left-hand side of the screen you see a lot of things crunched up. marked up against the shorelin shoreline. this, the tsunami waters rush across shore and then of course reversed as they receded carrying things back toward the ocean after wiping them out and going inland they

pulled everything back as they swept back out to sea. >> we have seen airport just submerge in water from this nearby airports to this city. the airport there we saw 2 miles maybe from the ocean itself and the jet way were his flooded and the. >> runways as well covered with water. people standing on tops of buildings there. it will be some time before an organized rescue effort can get under way to start reaching the people who need the help the most. >> well, approximately fortunately if that's the word this happened in daylight. a lot less disoriented. disorienting for people. not shaken out of their bed and dark and no power and rescue crew can't see to respond and people can't see and much more terrifying in the middle of the night so at least this gives emergency crew and ordinary people a bit more of a running start to try to get some emergency response under way before nature fall.

>> we have been talking about how this will rank certainly in the top about 6 or 7 major earthquakes in the past century. 8.9 u.s. gs gee logical survey. >> maybe top 5 if you look at the sheet. maybe top 5. >> if it stays at 8.9 that's true. >> wow! >> interesting david from u.s. gs we asked him about if you look at this list that we have largest earthquake in the world since 1900 15 on this list ranging from 8.5 up to 9.5. this one in japan toward the upper end of the range. none in california. and he said california just simply does not plate speaking can't produce an earthquake of that magnitude. at first it so you knowed comforting. it's a question of where it hps and when and not necessarily to the to get hung up on the magnitude in terms of

the severity of what could happen here in california. >> dense population. maybe not all building codes up to standard. let change in again with sandy tracking the tsunami situation for us. >> the latest bulletin indicates that no tsunami warning, watch or advisory is in effect for california oregon washington british columbia or alaska. tsunami warning is in effect for russia japan taiwan philippines now it includes australia new zealand mexico central and south america obviously we have been talking about this tsunami warning still in effect for hawaii but once again no advisory watches or warnings have been issued for north america the west coast which is california washington oregon and alaska of course we will keep you posted on this but the pacific tsunami warning center in hawaii was widened the tsunami warning to include l hawaii and rest of the pacific ocean except for

the west coast which is of course california including the bay area. >> thanks very much come back to you if need be. live picture now of the resulting -- this is on tape i apologize. ignore the live bug in the corner. this is on tape. tsunami water and the fire. this is oil refinery 20 miles from tokyo that is on fire. presumably still is even though this is on tape. >> we understand that the honolulu police are meeting right now to talk about the tsunami threat in hawaii and p.m. they are trying to figure out plan of action they have not ordered any evacuations or not requesting the people move to hire ground at this point. >> yes. but that will come presumably as they get a better handle on whether this event will reach the hawaiian shoreline. about all right. we are going to keep an eye on that because obviously we have a lot of people watching with friend and family in japan but also of course him with close

connections to hawaii. so we'll stay on it. keep you updated on this. again magnitude has shifted but latest magnitude of the earthquake is 8.9 despite what it says on the screen there 8.9 the latest magnitude as put by the u.s. gs of the earthquake that happened friday mid afternoon tokyo time. >> boy these images are just so striking. here you see the tsunami as it pushes across farm land bringing witness everything in its path taking down buildings as it goes and dragging them along. you see a number of cars this this area and just lots of pieces of perhaps farm buildings or even homes being moved along with this wave of water. >> you can see it truly is unstoppable. nothing you can do but try to get out of the way if you have warning that they will try to do in the other 80's of the world including hawaii where tsunami could the reach shore. several quakes had hit the same region of northern japan in the recent

days including as carolyn mentioned 7. 3 on just wednesday and since this 8.9 event couple hours ago there have been many after shocks also in that same magnitude 7. 3, vl range so very strong after shock and of course as we know here in california after any earthquake those after shock will continue for days weeks even months. so people there will have to be prepared for that and terrifying every time. >> as david mentioned if a tsunami warning is issued for the california coast it is imperative that folks do not head to the beach. certainly some want to perhaps see what is happening there but as we saw in inneetion when that water moved out it comes back total shore with such great force that no place you want to be. we are not at that point yet obviously. >> yes. now as sandy said the warning in addition to hawaii also includes australia, new

zealand, mexico central south america and central coast of california and oregon and things can change so everyone is on standby to see. this is scene that we have seen again these are taped pictures you can see the flooding around the residential area and this person waving white sheet or towel l presumably asking for help. we suspect that we'll see a lot of this scene because so many areas hit with pretty severe flooding. >> we have just spoken with police in honolulu who say they have pishltd warnings about the potential tsunami but there are no evacuations taking place at this time. >> we understand this is, these live pictures of the oil refinery; is that right that was burning short time ago so this is about 20 miles from tokyo and as the camera pans over you can see this fire not only is still burning looks to

us as if it has grown and emergency crew will be stretched very thin because there's a lot to respond to but this fire as you know petroleum product ferocious and very grown considerably it looks like to us in the last hour or so. >> is it possible for to us listen in to what they are saying here? we think it's in english speaking broadcast on nhk. >> 7. 3 meter tsunami one of the largest hit northeast japa japan, 4.1 meter struck land and again north all hit by waves of 4 meters. as out of control in this area we are feeling after shocks from the large earthquake even the studio as we speak. this is over 2 many and a half hours after the earthquake we are still feeling after shocks in our studios. approximately

pacific tsunami warning center has extended the area where tsunami waves may strike. now includes indonesian. those of you watching this program from indonesian, hawaii, australia, new zealand, and south american pacific coast including mexico, chile and peru. earlier the center issued a warning for japan, russia, marcus island and guam, wake island and taiwan. pacific tsunami warning center has extended the area for tsunami warnings l and the tsunami has already struck this area some of the cars there plunging into the water p.m. tsunami affecting this area just about few hundred kilometer north of tokyo. >> we heard this broadcast mentioning the after shock that are still rattling their studio in tokyo. and we know there was, there has been one of 7.

4, 6.3, 6.4 so it is going to continue that way. david from the u.s. gs in menlo park says folks can expect for the next several days to have many after shock following this earthquake in japan. >> days weeks and even months after shock not of this magnitude but they will have a great deal of shaking over the fix few hours to be sure. which only complicates rescue effort and freighten people even more. this is live picture that you are looking at. nhk has been on the air since this happened. really it was about 10:grave our time 2 and a half hours ago this 8 point any -- 8.9 hit 240 miles roughly from tokyo and produced just tremendous, tremendous force and damage. first the shaking of course followed by followed by the tsunami which has been devastating. >> we checked in with red cross a little bit earlier tonight and they said they are just

waiting to hear what is needed from them. they are standing by and approximately prepared to help in any way possible. >> all right certainly a lot of help will be needed. >> absolutely. we have eric guise tsunami expert with the u.s. gs on the phone can you hear us. >> yes i can? thanks for coming on. first of all we talk about japan in a moment. talk a little bit more about the tsunami threat elsewhere in the world specifically hawaii. what should we really pay attention to the fix few hours? >> well, i understand tsunami warning has been issued for hawaii and hopefully evacuation procedures are going according to plan there any time you get one of these large magnitude 8 earthquake under the ocean you can expect transocean tsunami affecting number of country around the pacific. >> eric, we are hearing a little bit, 2 different tsunami

watch agencies one was saying there is a watch along the west coast the other ways saying no we are not at a point yet where the west coast has been issued a warning or watch. so what is the situation? >> i think as far as i understand currently being evaluated. i'm not in the control room approximately of the national weather service that issues the tsunami warnings and watches. i have not heard yet that the west coast is in a tsunami warning yet but as data is being collected across the pacific water level data being collected across the pacific national weather service will make that determination. >> eric standby a second. i want to focus on what we are seeing on television. enormous fire ball that just erupted at oil refinery 20 miles from tokyo. this has just looked like it exploded now into a much bigger firn it was about when we first saw it about an hour ago. so just one

of the many complications that emergency officials have to deal with. but this looks very serious the oil refinery. >> that's the cosmo oil refinery and p.m. devastating situation there and as dan mentioned it's getting progressively worse as we keep an eye on it. petroleum fire situation. >> eric do all earthquakes out in the ocean as this one was, do all earthquakes that happen out in the ocean produce a tsunami or tsunami threat or certain type of earthquake that does? >> well, somewhat of a certain type but tsunami like earthquake occur in great deal of sizes so there's a lot of tsunami people don't notice on the beach that are actually recorded by various instruments in the ocean so you can have micro size tsunami as well as just like you can have micro earthquake. so the size of the tsunami scale is related to the

magnitude of the earthquake. of course when we have the very large earthquake in the middle of the ocean they are pushing up enormous volumes of water and that's what sets the tsunami off. >> it is like opening a sheet on your bed isn't it just create a giant ripple that moves across the ocean. >> once it is generated it's very persistent. not much to slow it down until it hits lan land. that's why it can cross-over entire ocean basin. >> eric thank you hang on a moment we want to check in now with dill land in waikiki at a restaurant duke's on the beach. dill land can you hear us okay. >> yes, i have you. >> what are you hearing in hawaii because we understand that hawaii is under a tsunami warning. what is the mood where you are? >> the mood is rate now is everybody is sort of just finding out or figuring it out. we are at a restaurant. everybody has been eating and

trying to get the last meal in. misd everybody doesn't always go through this like we have so they are trying to figure out the best thing to go back or up and all that so as far as the restaurant we are klotion up the hatches and trying to get even home safe and ncaa case something dishappen. >> dill land no sense of urgency there particularly. >> there is but it's not hysterical. everybody kind of knows that what we have heard is 3:00 a.m. would be the first time if anything came so that gives us pretty good lead time on being able to get our restaurant tightened up an even back to the appropriate area. not a full panic. >> no panic people are paying attention. taking it seriously. >> of course. even has been really nice. server telling us what is going on and everyone is done appropriate close-out and heading back to either hotel or homes. >> be well good luck thanks for coming on. >> thank you so much. >> take care. let's check in now with sandy with some more

tsunami news for us. >> the west coast alaska tsunami warning center just issued this out of palmer, alaska. tsunami watch has been issued now for coastal california, oregon, washington, british columbia and alaska. so basically what this means is they are giving you advance notice to let you know that these areas could be impacted which a tsunami at a later time. could be impacted. it has not been upgraded to rng washington. warning would mean it is imminent or happening right now. tsunami watch once again for coastal california oregon washington british columbia and alaska. you want to get away from low lying coastal area. listen for instruction from his your local emergency official. once again get away from the water. tsunami watch has been issued now for coastal california. >> and sandy just a bit clear. watch meaning conditions are ripe for the potential, warning mean one cited on the way. watch means it's potentially. >> exactly. watch is just basically letting you know it's

an advisory. letting you know this could happen. >> conditions are ripe. >> correct but warning would indicate that it is imminent or currently happening. right now it is a watch but once again could either be dropped down to advisory or cancelled or upgraded to tsunami warning for these areas so once again this was just issued. it was tsunami watch for coastal california, oregon, washington, bc and alaska. we also have a tsunami warning that covers japan, russia, taiwan, philippines, guam, of course new zealand is included in thi this. hawaii is included in this. they are under a tsunami warning so of course they are facing imminent danger at this point. >> all right thank you. >> we are also learning more about the death toll in japan. nhk is reporting there are 21 deaths. we understand one person was trapped in a car and then swept away and died. 2 people in tokyo were killed by

falling debris. and in northern japan a building collapsed and 12 people were killed there. >> okay. john rutz the u.s. ambassador to have pan has formally offered help to japan and the people that cooped of offer will come in around the world next few hours an days. we talk about the tsunami philippine officials are evacuating the eastern sea board next peck taition of tsunami following this 8.9 magnitude earthquake in japan. about 2 hours 35 or 40 minutes ago. >> yes. certainly this is something that is going to be changing as the evening progresses here. we have talked about this speed at which tsunami moves across open water. 500 to 600 miles an hour an that's how these different forecasters are predicting when this might hit. in fact in hawaii the tsunami is expected to hit at 3:00 a.m.

local time which is 6:00 a.m. our time. >> right. this is live picture now of the oil refinery l that is about 20 miles from downtown tokyo. it is called the cosmo oil refinery in hich har a city and burning ferociously since the earth quabing happened and you can see the plume of smoke 20 millions away in downtown tokyo. the fire has continueed to spread in the aftermath of the earthquake. started out i wouldn't say small but certainly grown to significant size now clearly a full blown disaster at the oil refinery. >> we are lacking also at fire here l in the epicenter to the earthquake. problems with fire throughout japan. we saw firefighters burning in tokyo high-rises as well. that's always a case or often the case when gas lines are disrupted by the powerful earthquake.

>> in downtown tokyo l large buildings shook violently and for half hour after this initial earthquake and again keep in mind downtown tokyo couple hundred miles from the epicenter of this earthquake to give you an idea of how powerful it was. >> we just saw we are watching nhk live from japan and the japanese prime minister is now addressing the japanese people. >> it's probably being translated on nhk in english. let's see if we can hear what the prime minister is telling his people. >> continue to be cautious and vigilant and keep tuned in to the reports on the television and radio approximately and we ask the people of japan to act calmly. prime speaking to us earlier speaking in front of the media earlier saying 2 of

the most important things caution and calm because tsunami have been hitting more than once in japan p.obviously situations like this happening as we speak. prime minister telling us caution and vigilance. as fires like this break out and until city. firefighters struggling to get the blaze under control at this oil refinery in east of tokyo. fire broke out after a natural gas pipeline broke following the powerful earthquake that hit this afternoon. the fire is spreading. the fire and disaster management agency says they have so far been 44 reports of fires breaking out around the country. once again

firefighters struggling to get this blaze we are covering live under control at an oil refinery near tokyo after that p.m. 8.4 magnitude earthquake before hit japan. northern japan. >> all right. this is broadcaster with nhk speaking to japanese viewers and around the wovrmentd he says 8.4 magnitude quake. latest information we have from the u.s. gs is 8.9 but keep in mind as is always the case in almost every other quake the magnitude tend to shift up and down the first few hours even the first few days. 7.1 and finally decided it was a 6.9. so the latest information we have despite the graphic is this was an 8.9 earthquake which makes it if that is in fact the case puts it in the top 5 my calculation are correct of the largest earthquakes in the world since

1900. mess severe being in 1960 in chile. 9.5 magnitude. >> let's check back in now with sandy for the very latest on this tsunami watch that has been issued for the west coast. >> yes, california obviously under that tsunami watch. coastal california oregon washington british columbia and alaska. listen for your emergency officials. these are estimated times of arrival for these waves here. crescent city 7:23 pacific standard time san francisco 8:08. latest from the tsunami warning center. once again it's a tsunami watch for california which of course includes the bay area coastal communities once again estimated time of arrive crescent city 7:23. san francisco 8:08 tomorrow mornin morning. >> as you have said this is no time to be heading to the coast to see what is going to happen. >> absolutely not. this is a time to get away from the beaches. get away from the low lying areas and obviously

listen to your local emergency officials. this is a time to get out of the water. tsunami are series of waves takes hours in some instances to arrive here and this is the estimated time of arrival giving you an idea as to how long it may take before the waves arrive and obviously they monitor sea level changes and warning center west coast warning center but it could be a matter of hours or minutes. they are not exactly precise. these are estimated times so just get away from the water if anywhere near it. >> all right sandy thanks very much. you are looking at the life picture which the reason it is shaking is because of after shocks pardonly. there have been many, many after shocks ranging from the 7. 8 1 to receive.3 range as a result of this giant, enormous earthquake that happened couple hours ago. >> in fact do we want to listen in hear what they are saying about this now or able to do that? >> northern japan obviously these are figures in just at

this time numbers room fluid. the situation is fluid. as soon as we get more information approximately we will be able to provide it to you. in the northeast area local fire department welfare be has collapsed. 5 people confirmed dead and several premium mission. approximately police say one person has been confirmed dead after being struck by a falling object in this area. one person confirmed dead after their car was swept away by a tidal wave. neighboring tokyo 2 people are reported to have died after a building collapsed on them. police where the earthquake hit hardest unknown number of people are mission in these city where is tsunami wave swept through coastal area inland. many buildings and cars have been left submerge in the city after the waves hi.

the earthquake with magnitude 8.4 was unprecedented. in japan. biggest ever to hit the country. >> these are pictures of the news room in downtown tokyo. nhk news ramp. watch the shaking hear as people l this is in i thought this was downtown tokyo. you may be right. oh, yes. l and again this was physician reported as 7. 9 the highest in the japanese scale. they say 8.4 and latest it was an 8.9 but we know the number is going to change. >> you can certainly see how everything is moving and the building and as dan mentioned we saw very similar pictures in tokyo as well. newsroom there 240 miles away from the epicenter also shaking greatly. >> we commented earlier dedicated to scrap niece journalist at their post. even as the shaking goes on they try

to get the job done and get information out to their viewing public. >> this is news ramp in tokyo into you are absolutely right but again we notice hard at work because this is a crisis and want to keep everyone informed as best they coy. we understand san mateo county activated the office of emergency services and del north county in northern california has done the same. the emergency operation center is now up and running. >> california now under a tsunami watch. watch meaning conditions are ripe for the potential for tsunami to reach our coast line some time around 8:00 o'clock in the morning perhaps potentially.

>> if that figure holds. buildings in downtown tokyo couple hundred males away shook for half an hour as a result of this earthquake and people streamed out in the street. keep in mind that happen at 2:45 in the afternoon friday japan time. middle really of the workday. just after lunch time. people rushed out into the street in large numbers to seek safety in the street but many people presumably trapped in buildings. we know there have been some collapsed buildings. some buildings

swept awhich by tsunami water. we know 20 or so confirmed death but we expect the number to rise probably dramatically sad to say as officials really get a full handle on the accident of the destruction. >> also seen a number of cars swept away in these floodwaters and some of them perhaps were simply parked but we do know at least one person was trapped in a car that was swept away and drowned and we immanuel there are likely many more who were caught off guard by this. >> as we look at this woman we think it's a woman maybe a man hard to say waving a sheet surrounded by water. look at all the at the bree as you look at the pictures. boats. cars. wood. debris of every description. gives awe sense of that debris came from somewhere. something was destroyed or torn up. gives you a sense of just how much water moved overland and how much daniel it has done. as you look at the debris that sounds all of these buildings.

it gives you a better idea exactly how destructive this may have been. >> we are just hearing from the interior cabinet secretary in japan that the damage is immense and far worse than expected. >> we had one estimate based on the u.s. gs model that damage this is just an estimate based on the shaking but the damage could reach 100 million dollars and the death toll could be hundreds or more. we shall see. does that lack like a ship flipped over to you. >> yes. >> hull of a ship facing us. >> i believe it actually smashed into a building. it was pushed by the tsunami into a building as well. >> tossed over. these are taped images we have seen him live images.

>> potentially could change over the next few takes even weeks. very hard to compute instantly with great accuracy. exactly how powerful the earthquake was but we know it was massive and even at 8.8 probably the top 5 magnitude earthquake to occur anywhere in the world anywhere in the world since 1900. so this is a rare

earthquake in terms of the power. >> japan meteorological agency said within 2 hours those large tsunami we have been seeing here washed ashore and does he says of cities along a 1300 mile stretch of the country eastern shoreline. so so many cities have been im pabilityeded by water by both shaking and then the water. >> which is absolutely devastating. >> and this is these are live pictures from 0died 0japan northern most island as i understand and live pichblingts you can see affected by floodwaters from the tsunami as well. >> nuclear power plant in the area have not been affected by the quake which its certainly. >> good news. they shut them down to make sure this now if you notice everyone in the nhk has upgraded or updated their estimate and put it at 8.8 quake which is the latest estimate of the magnitude of the earthquake. >> from japan at least. u.s.

gs i believe still has this at 8.9 but again. >> i think they may have rae advised it downward too. i'm not sure. either way go up in days. >> we'll play the game for awhile. >> so what is happening obviously approximately on the coastal western coast of the united states officials here have activated office of emergency services. prepare for the possibility of tsunami reaching the western part of the united states. there's a tsunami watch in effect forjf te west coast but there's a tsunami warning in effect for hawaii, fill pains, taiwan other areas of the world but certainly in temperatures of the united states a warning in effect for tsunami to reach hawaii some time in the next few hours potentially. >> these images are just staggering. >> really are. >> look at the amount of water and places many places where just should not be. about

tsunami warning still in effect in japan. >> i'm pausing to try to get new information. >> let's listen in here as well. >> nhk will translate for news english. we can listen for a moment. >> again he is warning everybody in the region be prepared for more after shock. they could continue for as long as a month. we have heard from

>> the largest wave many times comes after the first arrival. people should be cautious to not assume everything's fine after the first wave comes in. because the second or third or even the fourth wave might be much larger and might be hours after the first arrival. >> that would be in hawaii. that would not be the case, am i right, in japan? should we assume the sumaumee is

over in japan? >> well, there is -- the -- it's very -- the wave activity is very complicated. usually, for right near the earthquake, the first series of waves is the largest. but as you mentioned, some of these aftershocks are quite big and could themselves generate tsunamis. in fact, the magnitude 7.1 aftershock was located in very deep water. i would be surprised if that did not generate some sort of tsunami wave activity. >> eric, can you talk about crescent city and why it is particularly susceptible to tsunamis? >> it's a little bit of a mystery. but i think most people realize now that the shape of the coastline there, they seem to sweep waves from the south right into the harbor there. we see that time and time again, so crescent city is a -- definitely is a strong point for tsunami wave activity.

but up and down the coast, especially from a tsunami frejapan, we have to be cautious in the central california. and tsunami waves can hit the outer coast and they can go through the golden gate, as happened in 1964. there was some damage inside the bay from a tsunami. so we just have to wait to see what the national weather service decides, whether it is going to be a warning or whether a watch will be downgraded. >> eric, how big a tsunami, in terms of feet could something like this produce, all the way in california, thousands of miles away? >> that's the hard thing to determine, of course. i mean, we can determine the arrival time, how long it's going to take to cross the ocean, very accurately. but it is very difficult, even with all of our new technology how large it's going to be. it is unlikely, it's going to be as large as it was in japan. but from that -- other than that, it's difficult to say how

large the waves are going to be. >> this is, by the way -- thanks, eric. these are pictures of an airport a couple of miles from the coast of japan. you can see that this airport is not going to be an operation in the immediate future because there is significant flooding not only around the terminal and the jetways and to the runways themselves. >> we saw a number of people standing on the roofs of some of these buildings, clearly there is no place to go, other than up at this point. >> this watch in effect for california when that might go away or become a warning? when do we know we are in more danger or out of the woods. >> i think the national weather service continues to evaluate that, based on the data coming

in. as we get close to, let's say, you know, three hours before the estimated arrival time, they will probably have made a decision by that time. so that would be about 5:00 in the morning, i would approximate. but that's just a rough guess. one last question, on the earthquake itself in japan. we know the magnitude has shifted up and down a little bit, that's always the case. >> right. >> do you anticipate that it will taig stay in this range? it won't be downgraded or upgraded? it should tick up or down, but not much more? >> i think so. i think it is probably going to be in this range, maybe plus or minus, point-two or point-three. i think with the new technology, we have been able to get a quicker determination and more accurate determination early on on the earthquake magnitude. so i don't suspect it is going to make any large shifts either way right now.

>> okay. thanks, with the usgs. thanks. >> we want to go back to hawaii, where there is a tsunami warning in place. we have craig, a few blocks from the beach in kauai. what are you hearing there? >> well, the news we are getting right now is that we are under a warning for a wave at -- to arrive earliest at 3:07 a.m., our time. they're saying that it's expected to be a six-foot wave. and they're advising everybody to evacuate low-level areas now. >> you are just a couple of blocks from the beach yourself, so what's your plan? >> i'm not planning on going anywhere. i'm on an upper-level unit. so if it is going to come, i feel i'll be safe. >> have you dealt with this sort of situation there before?

have long have you lived in hawaii? >> i have been here since 1991. so i have been here 20 years. we had a tsunami warning when the chile earthquake went off. and it did arrive. but it was only a matter of inches high when it arrived. not to say that that's what we are expecting now. they don't want people to have that at tiewsmd. >> what is -- attitude. >> what is the attitude? are most people taking this seriously? >> well, they had the sirens go off about a half hour ago. my neighborhood, i have heard cars getting packed up, but nobody leaving quite yet. so i think they are probably just kind of waiting to see what they have to say because the news is saying they're waiting to hear what happens to wake island, which is supposed to see the impact within the next hour. >> and that gives you some gauge

as to how serious it will be on kauai? >> that's what their thinking is. but, you know, the civil defense is saying not to look at it that way. so >> so, craig, thanks a lot. >> you are very welcome. >> if you stay where you are, be careful and good luck to you. >> all right. thanks. >> we talk about, that's the tricky thing with this, because if you wait too loping, -- too long. >> 70% of hawaii's population is in hon in honolulu. and they did have sirens in the hawaiian islands and are urging people to evacuate low-lying areas. >> they did that in honolulu. when we spoke to one of the restaurant workers there, he said they were making sure to go up to everyone in the restaurant, let them know what was happening.

so everyone is aware of this, with the sirens going off, you are going to be aware of this. >> these are pictures -- i believe, this is the oil refinery that is -- that has been burning. this is on tape. but this oil refinery, really has turned into a terrible disaster, 20 miles from tokyo. the cosmo oil refinery. and as we have heard, it's just growing. it has exploded. and it was caused by we think a natural gas pipeline that ruptured after the 8.8 earthquake in japan. and this oil refinery fire is one of the many, many problems. but there are reports of something like 40 or dozens of fires throughout northern japan and various places as a result of the earthquake. >> yeah, unfortunately, many of them simply burning out of control. i mean >> let's go to sandy patel, our meteorologist, she is paying

very close attention to the tsunami issues in hawaii and here in california. sandy? >> well, the west coast alaska tsunami warning center has upgraded the watch for coastal california to a tsunami warning. it's a tsunami warning for coastal california and oregon from point conception to the oregon/washington border. if you are listening, listen carefully. a tsunami has been generated. it is expected to cause damage in the warning area and/or advisory areas. if you are in a low-lying area, go away. if you are near the coast, go to higher ground. listen to emergency officials. estimated arrival time, cressent city, 7:23, san francisco, 8:08. a tsunami watch has been upgraded to a warning for the san francisco area. the california coastal area. >> let's check back with the

usgs with a tsunami expert. eric, can we expect now that the warning has been issued that we will be hearing sirens here at some point. >> the office of emergency services will have their orch plans of what to do in a tsunami warning and they are very well prepared at this point. so, yeah, i haven't seen this message myself yet. but i will take a look at that. and yeah, just to stress that people should pay attention to any kind of evacuation activities. they should stay away from the coast for many hours because once a tsunami hits, the wave activity can last for many, many hours. and whatever you do, don't go down to the coast because that just complicates people trying to evacuate. would you expect -- is there a potential for any damage that

might reach us? could it be quite serious? or is it hard to say? >> it depends on the size of the tsunami, which is difficult to say. >> a lot of damage that we have experience in the past is some inunidation, some damage as we saw from the chilean tsunami last february. it was concentrated in a small boat harbors from the very strong currents that are associated with tsunamis. so it's difficult to say in terms of estimating the exact amplitude, it's hard to define. it's not just how high, but the very strong currents and that's why you are seeing huge areas that are flooded. if you are at the beach and see a tsunami, it is too late to outrun it, they are traveling between 20 and 40 miles per hour. >> we are hearing that the likely first to hit would be

8:00 this morning in san francisco. but the first one is quite often the smallest and more could follow. >> that's right. that's correct. >> and much larger ones could follow. >> that's right. it has to do with, as a wave hits the coast, it bounces off point reyes and sends wave activity back down along the coast and these can interfere and it gets very complicated. but you can expect strong wave activity for many hours after the first arrival. >> we talked about crescent city and its vulnerability. you mentioned the central coast is also vulnerable. which part of the central coast are you referring to? >> it dpebds on where the tsunami originates from. so from alaska, the northern california gets hit a little bit

harder than central and southern california. in this case, japan, the tsunami would be focused mostly towards central california, not so much, as you go to washington/oregon, but of course, they near a tsunami warning as well. so i'm nervous about this tsunami just because of where it's coming from, from japan. >> you won't be alone in that? thanks so much. hang on, if you can. we appreciate your insight. it's tremendously helpful. >> troy dangerfield with the san francisco police is on the line. troy, are you there? >> yes. now that there is a tsunami warning, what are you doing? what is your department doing? caller: we have the beach and so forth, just patrolling to make sure that the people don't decide to be a looky loo because we don't know what will happen. it is just a -- a watch right now, for us --

>> well you ask people to leave if they are on the beach? can do you that? or advise them? can you force them? caller: we will advise them to -- that it's probably not safe and they should leave until we get further word from authorities. >> you can't force them to leave? or can you? caller: we can't force to leave unless they are in imminent danger. >> what other preparations will the san francisco police department need to make in the next few hours? what is critical for you? caller: emergency management will decide what they need us to do and we will mobilize based on the recommendations from the authorities. >> yeah. all right. >> troy, thanks, san francisco police department, one of many agencies here, preparing for -- preparing for the possibility of a tsunami breaching our coastline. >> we understand the coast guard is meeting right now as well. certainly san mateo county, office of emergency services

actsivated as many offices around the state right now, as we prepare for what could be a tsunami reaching our coastline. to hear eric of the usgs say that this makes him particularly nervous should be an eye opener. >> because of where it's coming from and the magnitude. >> here, these are pictures from japanese state television. people outside. this happened at 2:45 friday in japan. people rushed outside from their offices or restaurants, wherever they were, to get -- find safety in the streets, get away from buildings and everything else. here, you know, this is relatively minor damage. bottles on the shelves. the damage is far more service cars and homes have been washed away, widespread flooding and fires in a number of areass. >> they are under a tsunami

warning and the threat continues there. that's what we are preparing for here. as for when the sirens might sound here, that will be up to the washington and certainly inma san mateo, they have a system in place and we expect to be hearing more about that, shortly. >> as we talked about in hawaii, warning sirens have sounded a little while ago. maybe 45 minutes ago. people in honolulu have been evacuating and other parts of hawaii as warning sirens warn of a tsunami on the hawaiian coastline in a few hours. hawaii closer to japan. so the tsunami reaching them could be significant, potentially. >> and the west coast tsunami

warning center saying that we here in california are under a tsunami warning. if it does come ashore, it is likely to hit at 8:00 a.m. in san francisco. right now, police are out at ocean beach and asking people to get off the beach, move to higher ground. >> eric with the us usgs is a tsunami expert and he has been kind enough to stay with us on the phone. caller: sure. >> buildings have collapsed, 4 million people without power in japan. you are lookath more video. we are seeing these pictures for the first time in on japanese television. look at the ceiling collapsing. we have not seen that. terrifying, obviously for people caught in this. they are going to continue to have aftershocks for days, weeks, even months, are they not? >> that's right. there will be aftershocks for

many days. and most -- a lot of them might be large. so as the size of the earthquakes the main shock increases, you will get larger aftershocks. >> let's turn our attention to the tsunami on the west coast and hawaii. i know we are asking you to give us your best estimates on this. but any idea what reaches fanything reaches the northern california coast? whether there is any potential for real destruction as a result of it? or any damage? or is it environmental damage along the coastline? >> i would be -- expect some damage out of this tsunami, if we are in a warning. part of the difficulty in trying to estimate it is because we have never had an earthquake nearly magnitude 9 in japan before. so this is kind of new territory. we are used to -- we know what

happens with magnitude 9 earthquakes in chile and we know about magnitude earthquakes in the tsunami from alaska. we have all the detailed records in san francisco of what happens. but this is the first time a magnitude 8.9 earthquake has occurred off japan. so it's -- it's a little bit difficult to estimate from past experience. >> you know, as i look at the list of the worst most severe earthquakes since 1900. you are quite right. on the top list of 15, there are chile, alaska, places like that, but not japan, this magnitude. >> that's right. >> that's interesting that that has not happened before in japan. any idea why this was developed there? they don't have a history of earthquake this is large. >> well, large earthquakes occur in any particular fault zone very infrequently, fortunately. as we learned from the 2004

earthquake in the indian ocean, that earthquake occurs mainly only once every thousand years. so even recorded history might not be long enough to capture these truly enormous earthquakes. so it's partly just that we haven't been around long enough to see one of these big earthquakes. >> that's a good point. >> eric, we appreciate your help once again and your insight as we prepare for what could be next here in california. >> okay. >> thanks. you have been terrific. thank you, so much for coming on. we appreciate it. >> well, this is, of course... a crisis time for emergency responders across japan and around the world. many world organizations are offering assistance to japan. the ambassador to japan from the united states has offered his support. this is a time of crisis but for

geologists with the usgs, this is a time of great interest and great learning because with every event, their knowledge of what causes these events and the effects and their ability to predict them more accurately, this is a tremendous learning opportunity for them. so every geologist in the world will be studying this event and learning a great deal as a result. >> putting their models into play with respect to the tsunamiet and warning and when, perhaps, this wave will hit us here in california. again, we are hearing perhaps 8:00 a.m. in san francisco. but let's check in now with meteorologist sandy patel, who is tracking this for us. >> the most important thing here is a tsunami warning for coastal california and oregon, from point conception to the oregon/washington border, including alaska. a tsunami advisory has been added to include the coastal areas of california, all the way

down to the mexico border from point concepcion down. so a tsunami advisory has been expanded, including a we area of the west coast. but we are under a tsunami warning here. estimated times of arrival. crescent city, 7:23, san francisco, 8:08, go away from the coast. listen to your local emergency officials. those waves could arrive without warning. >> thanks very much. we hope most people would heed that warning, there will always be some who want to look for themselves, not a good idea. don't do it, please. not safe along the coast for the next few hours. these are pictures from japanese television. this is an oil refinery that is raging out of control and has been since this earthquake happened now, about three hours ago, 2 hours and 45 minutes ago, 8.8, 8.9, somewhere in that range. this is 20 miles from downtown tokyo. a gas line ruptured, igniting

this refinery and it is burning out of control. >> all of this started about 2:45 in the afternoon, japanese time with a magnitude 8.9 earthquake slam into the northeastern coast and unleashed a 13-foot tsunami. we have seen the pictures that literally swept both cars -- boats, car, buildings, debris and pushed it inland. >> as we begin to wrap up here for the moment, we want to let you know that we know of at least 21 deaths that have been conif you remembered in japan. that -- confirmedfirmed in japa. the damage, according to some japanese officials is much worse than they expected. some estimates could be upwards of $100 billion. but it will be extensive. so this is a major catastrophe for the people of japan, as this earthquake has affected several ti