he is a geophysicist with the usgs. randy, your reaction to this 8.9 quake. >> well, it's a very large quake and it follows a quake that happened a couple of days ago which was a 7.2 in the same area. so this is a very active area off the east coast of japan and it's producing its quakes right now. >> of course, the information right now is very limited in terms of what's coming into the newsroom here across america. nonetheless california is accustomed to hearing about earthquakes, but 8.9 is alarming to anyone who hears about an earthquake of that magnitude. what can we expect from this? >> well, in the immediate future you can expect to see a number of aftershocks. there have been a number of magnitude 6 and 7 aftershocks that have come after this quake and we expect that to be continuing possibly for several months. on the quake several days ago, the 7.2 that happened, it has been a couple of quite busy days with aftershocks related to that quake. >> of course, just like california, which is accustomed to earthquake

according to the usgs that first one, now look to be upgraded to an 8.9. i just checked that and also a 6.4 and then a corresponding 6.4 and then a 6.8, then a 7.1 and then a 6.3. i mean if you go to the usgs it is lighting up with this activity right across the pacific plate which is right near northern japan. now, the other thing, the true danger with this if they continue to see more and more activity over the next hour or so is with a tsunami. we call it the wavelength. it's kind of the amount of energy that is being stored up in the water. it's very long when you're out farther in the sea but as that ground starts to get shallow, then of course there is nowhere for that water to go and then you get that extreme wave height just before it crashes to shore and that's what people are dealing with right now. you can see these fiery pictures coming in as walls of water likely, not just one wall of water or just one tsunami but possibly several that have hit northern japan at this point as we have just told you there have been at least six different very la

president of cal tech is thanks to the usgs because, he said, i came here because on the usgs on a one-year fellowship to do a master's degree at stanford university and after that one year, i was in danger of being deported. and i was saved to complete a ph.d. here thanks to a usgs earthquake research grant that allowed me to stay and complete a ph.d. at stanford. and his earthquake research grant was to do a detailed study of strong ground motion in the marina district of san francisco just years before that area was strongly hit by a earthquake. and his analysis of the shaking in the -- that district, the marina district actually very well matched the actual damage that was done and allowed planners in that area to prepare infrastructure in advance of that earthquake. so that's the kind of work that's done. that's the kind of person that's supported. and that's the kind of leader we have in this country now thanks to usgs earthquake -- >> that's a great story. i do think that i will mention to the ranking member of the full committee that in looking down the cities that are at highest ri

usgs is weighted and they estimated at 8.8. these are amazing pictures and what is really spooky about this is there are buildings floating on that water. you know that water is deep enough to support structures that are floating and also, if they pull back again, you'll see cars on the roadway that are trying to escape this thing. people on rooftops. >> you can see in the center of that video right now, that appears to be a truck, maybe a bus. two of them in the center of your screen completely being moved almost like paper on this water. you are absolutely right. the current has to be amazing to sweep those buildings off their foundation. this water is moving quickly. you have to imagine if you were on foot, you would be defenseless. >> at this juncture, we have not heard any estimates of injuries or possible death. now the video we are seeing from the choppers is that this water is moving over mostly from what we are able to see, farmland. obviously in the water, there is debris from houses, buildings, vehicles, boats we hav

reserves, which is a usgs does technically recoverable.some of the largest producers are open and are producing. but there are clearly areas offshore and i don't want to avoid your question, but i want to do it justice. and so, i would refer to do for it, to the research, look at resource numbers, with soft ltd. provide the answer in writing. >> we want to get accurate information, so that's good. >> and i was going to ask, dr. whitney, you pointed out there's a difference between resources and reserves. and i noticed in mr. whitney's report, they talked about that. could you go more in depth as to the explanation between reserves and resources clacks >> short. >> reserves are amounts of oil or gas that have been proven to it is through drilling. companies use reserves as word of an inventory that they will produce at some point in the future. as those reserves are produced, they add new reserves, either through reserve growth and an existing field or through development of new fields. for that reason, reserve values, preserve numbers tend

the usgs evaluates renewable resources such as geothermal energy part of the usgs completed the national geothermal resource assessment the first one in more than 30 years. the usgs assessment results indicate full development of conventional identified systems could expand geothermal power production by 260% of the currently installed geothermal total in the united states. the estimate for enhanced geothermal systems is more than an order of magnitude larger than the combined estimates of both identified and undiscovered conventional geothermal resources. it successfully -- they could provide a.g. of emerald capacity copeland to half the current electrical capacity of the u.s.. energy resources research and assessments are traditional strength of the usgs. as the nation's energy mix evolves and usgs will continue to seek ways to expand its research and assessment portfolio to include a conference of suite of energy resources. -ese resources assessment and research can provide valuable information for the public and government discourse about the energy's resource future of the nation. t

reserves, which is a usgs does technically recoverable.some of the largest producers are open and are producing. but there are clearly areas offshore and i don't want to avoid your question, but i want to do it justice. and so, i would refer to do for it, to the research, look at resource numbers, with soft ltd. provide the answer in writing. >> we want to get accurate information, so that's good. >> and i was going to ask, dr. whitney, you pointed out there's a difference between resources and reserves. and i noticed in mr. whitney's report, they talked about that. could you go more in depth as to the explanation between reserves and resources clacks >> short. >> reserves are amounts of oil or gas that have been proven to it is through drilling. companies use reserves as word of an inventory that they will produce at some point in the future. as those reserves are produced, they add new reserves, either through reserve growth and an existing field or through development of new fields. for that reason, reserve values, preserve numbers tend

reserves, which is a usgs does technically recoverable.some of the largest producers are open and are producing. but there are clearly areas offshore and i don't want to avoid your question, but i want to do it justice. and so, i would refer to do for it, to the research, look at resource numbers, with soft ltd. provide the answer in writing. >> we want to get accurate information, so that's good. >> and i was going to ask, dr. whitney, you pointed out there's a difference between resources and reserves. and i noticed in mr. whitney's report, they talked about that. could you go more in depth as to the explanation between reserves and resources clacks >> short. >> reserves are amounts of oil or gas that have been proven to it is through drilling. companies use reserves as word of an inventory that they will produce at some point in the future. as those reserves are produced, they add new reserves, either through reserve growth and an existing field or through development of new fields. for that reason, reserve values, preserve numbers tend

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

the usgs says this happens gradually, over time. what they're worried about with these heavy rains is the kind of slide that happens suddenly without warning. the signs are easy to see in the hills. in many locations, the ground has clearly had just about enough of the rain oo. it would be safe to say that we're at the point now our instruments indicate the soil is close to saturation. >> the us geological survey monitors ground saturation in a station in the hills above castro valley and north bay at lucas valley. this hill is already starting to slide. >> the thing we'll be looking for is those burss of rainfall above half an inch per hour, those, if they're sustained several hours, we'll see water pressure accumulating meaning hazard of a shallow landslide aalong skyline boulevard there is a small rock slide took out part of the front fencing. nearby, east bay regional parks crews closed a hiking trial in mud z they cleared trees that have fallen z assessed those that could come down, soon. >> now, you can see the storm door is o

>>pam: kron 4 went to the usgs to get its take on all of this. the earthquake site center explains why trying to pinpoint when an earthquake will occur is extremely difficult. >> there is no scientific basis for earthquake prediction at this time. the usgs does issue forecasts of earthquakes to occur. we assure those over the next 30 years. in the bay area, our forecast is that there's a 63 percent chance of a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake which is about the size at the law earthquake back in 1989. it turns out there's about the same chance of the same size earthquake in l.a. in the next 30 years. scientists have no way of knowing exactly when or where those earthquakes are going to be. we cannot give any credibility to a short-term earthquake prediction. >>pam: says because a major quake can occur at any time in the bay area, the usgs recommends that people take this opportunity to check their earthquake survival kits. stay with kron 4 for continuing coverage of the quake in japan terry a difficult to www.kron4.com any time for the very la

tom, you were at the uss -- >> usgs today. >> belva: what did you find out there and what is the latest they could tell you? >> probably the most astonishing idea is many of us raeb the low ma quake. this was 1,000 times stronger in japan. really a biblical proportion. you have to go back 1,000 years in the geologic record to see the tsunami situation they had. having said all of that, not too many hours later, that tsunami spread across the pacific, rammed in the to hawaii and came to the west coast and did some significant damage if cress stent city, ft. bragg and we will be talking about santa cruz. one person in crescent city who thought he would be brave and go out and take pictures in the river ended up being lost and probably dead. many coastal roads were closed. beaches were closed, including right here in san francisco. b.a.r.t. was not closed but the ferry stopped three runs out of concern for possible problems in the bay. and many flights to japan were out and out cancelled. and those that were in the air already were diverted to other places like osaka and even one went in t

lucy jones, seismologist with the usgs, cal tech, thank you very much for being with us tonight. >>> the tsunami that started in japan, ended up hours later slapping against the west coast of the united states, beginning with the hawaiian island chain, nbc's miguel almaguer is in santa cruz, california, tonight. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. a 25-year-old california man is dead tonight, swept out to sea after a tsunami surge near the oregon border. this just in, four coastal counties here in california are under a state of emergency. in santa cruz, powerful currents capsized six boats, knocked others on their side and tossed some into the harbor. the cleanup here is still under way. six to seven-foot waves hit the small oregon coastal city of seaside nine hours after the earthquake. tsunami sirens and reverse 911 calls jolted many out of bed early this morning, as evacuations were ordered in oregon and washington state. but it was in hawaii that was hit first. sirens there sent residents scrambling to higher ground. homes and cars were destroyed, although th

now we'll go to daniel garcia who is a seismologist with the usgs. can you tell us if you have learned anything from this massive quake and the aftershocks? >> hi, good morning. >> good morning. >> yeah, the larger aftershocks of that shouldn't be surprising. you are right, it is pretty large for an aftershock, but the main shook was 8.9. we can expect aftershocks as large as 7.5 or 7.8 or 7.9. >> how long will these last? is this the thing -- i know aftershocks can occur days, weeks, months later, but will the magnitude of these things diminish over time? >> even years. i mean, we are talking about an earthquake very similar to the last chilean earthquake in february of 2009, it was a 9.8. in this case, in the chilean earthquake, we are still recording aftershocks. so you can think about this earthquake in the same way. we are going to be record iing large aftershocks even one or several years after this huge earthquake. >> daniel, late me ask you this quickly, you mentioned chile. we had new zealand, we have japan, i think yesterday they had a 7.0

vegetationle changes, the lesson here, i think in general and this applies to,usgs, and national weather, we need to make sure the networks are in good enough shape to make these decisions. they don't cost a lot of money but you need to know the data out there is quite flawed and we need to take care of it and make sure in the future it's doing what it needs to for us. let me expand this. there's a very nasty fight going on on the future of some satellites right now. the fight involved climate centers on these centers and certain governments want to toss them in favor of weather sensors. weather is important but climate also is. it effects all of us. no data means no good research fundamentally. so i encourage you not to lose site of some of these bigger issues. >> very good. >> on that issue, we're right in the process of adding 17 rain gauges, 17 instant rain gauges. i looked at how much it is to install it and it's relative to a five million dollar a year budget is nothing. you ought to go back and look at what data you wish you had and start putting that in place for whoever will fol

juicy information from the usgs gentleman.you weren't with us with the full coverage, the eruption link 180 miles long and the slip was 40 to 50 meters. that is huge. and the rupture duration was several minutes. you can see why there was so much damage. 107 aftershocks right now. we'd be talking about those if they were just normal earthquakes. kids playing with the boats and throwing them into each other. it was just incredible the way the surge was coming in and out. let's move along, talk about what was going on here at home. distinct surges so far in san francisco. 2 feet about 9:00. down at crescent city should say 8.1, largest surge anywhere in the u.s. that includes alaska. that came in about 8:57. here's a look at all those earthquakes we just talked about off japan. look farther to the south. this tsunami will reach south america and even antarctica. we're still under a warning. they'll cancel it eventually but it looks like we have about two more hours of surges. our forecast, partly to most cloudy. lose an hour sle

. >> we are listening very closely to our usgs experts. and they will tell us when in fact, those earthquakes might have anything to do with the plates that we are under. >>> now despite that downgrading from a tsunami warning to an advisory. county officials are still on the watch for aftershocks that could send large waves into the area. >>> flights were cancelled or delays today to tokyo. but there is one scheduled to leave tonight. one couple told us they've been in line for seven hours to get home to see their loved ones. they say they have been able to talk to their family members but they are without power. and we'll talk to a man who is on his way to see his family near the epicenter. >>> and damage of the quake is growing much more serious tonight. the japanese authorities declared a state of emergency at two nuclear power plants. at one point local media is reporting that the cooling system has failed at three of its reactors. japanese officials say they are prepared to issue an unprecedented order to release radio active vapors

sam blakely holds a doctorate in earthquake census is a new study is crucial since the usgs has identified a previously unknown fault line half a mile from the diablo canon plant. >> hawaiian pharmacies and health food stores are selling out of iodide because they can protect the thyroid gland for a radioactive dye died. >>> freezing temperatures and snow are hampering efforts in japan. the hope of finding more survivors is diminishing. in sendai forecasters called for a high of 40 degrees during the day and temperatures below freezing overnight. coming up in 11 minutes, jana katsuyama will tell us how the weather is impacting mountain relief efforts in tokyo. >>> the japanese prices had derailed the two-year bull run temperately. markets nosedive and back again today. the nasdaq fell 50 points today and is now trading in negative territory for the year. >>> voting has begun in several provisions. the state assembly voted earlier to cut some social services from the budget but so far neither chamber has passed the centerpiece of brown's plan to extend tax increases. the tax plan requires t

. >> reporter: pg&e says it works with the usgs and that is why the new fault line was discovered in the first place. ktvu channel 2 news. >>> even with the crisis taking center stage the people of japan are still trying to grasp the magnitude of the earthquake and tsunami. hundreds of national and international rescue teams continue to look for the more than 8,000 people who are still missing and tonight their efforts are hampered by freezing temperatures and snow. the official death toll now stands at more than 4300. japan's emperor gave a speech today telling people not to lose hope. this is the first time an emperor addressed his people on television. >>> airport officials say any seats are in high demand out of japan. lauren is one of the people who made it back safely and our cameras were rolling today. >> good to see she is home. we are sad is about what is going on in japan. >> on the departure side, all flights to japan are half or 3/4 full at best. japan airlines said it is also getting a lot of requests for refunds. ktvu's jana katsuyama just arrived from japan. she filed

juicy information from the usgs gentleman.f you weren't with us with the full coverage, the eruption link 180 miles long and the slip was 40 to 50 meters. that is huge. and the rupture duration was several minutes. you can see why there was so much damage. 107 aftershocks right now. we'd be talking about those if they were just normal earthquakes. kids playing with the boats and throwing them into each other. it was just incredible the way the surge was coming in and out. let's move along, talk about what was going on here at home. distinct surges so far in san francisco. 2 feet about 9:00. down at crescent city should say 8.1, largest surge anywhere in the u.s. that includes alaska. that came in about 8:57. here's a look at all those earthquakes we just talked about off japan. look farther to the south. this tsunami will reach south america and even antarctica. we're still under a warning. they'll cancel it eventually but it looks like we have about two more hours of surges. our forecast, partly to most cloudy. lose an hour s

. >> and usgs says japan can expect after shocks from this earthquake for decades. >> the japanese people have been experiencing strong to severe ground motion. there have been devastating tsunami waves. this part of the coastline is vulnerable to tsunami waves because there are a lot of bays that make them big. >> we have more to bring you on the earthquake and tsunami in the pacific. one of the coastal communities with the surge shut down schools for the day. >> and japanese americans trying to make contact with family and friends in japan. >> also, these pictures of a boat swept out from the tsunami that hit japan. >> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld. >>> japanese television reporters described the scene from one of their offices. listen in. >> let's go back to what happened about 20 minutes ago in the newsroom this, is what it looked like. looks like a tsunami has been engulfing the port. there is a camera reporter. and this is a -- looks like it's engulfed several cities. live footage as the tsunami has struck the area, engulfing homes after long side the river.

we have emily live from the usgs. emily, are you there? >> yes. good morning. >> give us an update about the magnitude of this earthquake. >> at the moment it's at 8.9 on the magnitude. and this is issued by the usgs. >> how powerful is that just to put it in context for people watching. >> well, the energy dissipated by this earthquake is around 1400 times stronger than the earthquake in 1995. so this is a very great, big earthquake. >> now, it was just off the coast. how deep was it? was it six miles or something. >> no, it's 50 miles. but it's still a shallow earthquake. earthquakes can go up to 400 miles down. this is still considered a shallow earthquake although at 50 miles. >> this is the most powerful earthquake in japan's history and one of the most powerful in the world, is that right? >> since 1900, i think this is the fifth largest earthquake. we had a 9.5 in chile, 1960s was 9.2. this is an 8.9, yes. >> our largest earthquake here in the bay area was back in 1989, october 17th. can you kind of compare the strength of those two. >> tha

the force was so strong, the usgs said it moved the island of honshu to the east. it sped up the earth's rotation by 1.6 1.6 microseconds. >>> could -- by 1.6 microseconds. >>> could a quake like this send a wave across the coast? it could in deed, and it would be nothing new. >> the devastating kanto quake and the tsunami are an example of something that happened many times off the coast. the cascadia zone is capable of an earthquake every bit as japan's. >> when it happens there will be sue ma'am knees and -- will be tsunamis and a lot of shaking. everyone will feel it. >> reporter: the last one was 311 years ago. tsunami experts said the next surge would be greater than today's likely over alameda and the airport. the san francisco marina district. hundreds of homes are at risk. as we saw in santa cruz today, the golden gate could focus the energy into the bay. >> it could slosh back and forth. >> reporter: experts say it's difficult to predict because of the complicated ocean bottom and coastline. there's evidence, previous ones have scoured the coast and the r

a geologist with the usgs says that the soil around the area is nearly 90 percent saturated and thating devices along the bay area, steep hill sates, showing cause for concern. pacifica, santa cruz mountains, the oakland hills, areas to watch. up to this point we've been talking about downed trees and power lines and some flooding. but as we get more rain, add land slides to the list. reporting live, christie smith. today in the bay. >> thank you. >> 6:36. breaking news out of jerusalem. a bus has exploded injuring a number of people. we're attempting to get live pictures. what i can tell you, emergency crews are trying to tend to the wounded now. this is actually the first bus bombing in several years, it comes amid rising tensions among hamas and israel. >> 6:37. a new study finds staggering deficiencies in bridges and overpasses. one in five bridges or overpasses in the bay area have been marked as high priority for monitoring and repair. this according to transportation america. the washington, d.c. nonprofit says this region has more structurally deficient bridges than the natio

the usgs measured it at 6.2 and said the depth was about 15 miles.apan has suffered more 150 shocks. >> when the next big one hits experts say you need a plan to get to safety but you also need food and water for 72 hours. mike went to where the quake has been a stark reminder of the need to be reprerared. >> reporter: rob adams, his passion. >> this is a 360. >> reporter: a 74 dodge and his pennents. also in there. >> utility cords, sox. >> reporter: a quake kit. >> i think people feel it'll shake and some damage and i will go to the store. i think that's where people need to think hard. >> reporter: and they aren't alone. from drinking water to heat pads to blankets, just a few of the things shaken off the shelves. >> hardly stopped rings. >> reporter: a small company doing bigger than normal business. they had to restock from knives, to masks and bags of water. >> it's something you just put off. you don't think it'll affect you. i think we get lazy. >> reporter: she said people shouldn't and she talked act the 1989 quake reminds people it was cen

. >> the usgs says the ground especially in areas like the oaknd la -- oakland hills is 90% saturated meaning trees and hills could give way at anytime. >> let's go to sandhya patel. >> it is going to be a rough ride for the morning commute. let's show you live doppler 7hd, and right now we are seeing some rain. it is heavy in spots. let me take you in here to the santa cruz mountains where they are getting some very heavy rainfall. this cell here, i'm tracking it now, and it is headed heading into freedom by 11:25, and it will get nasty out there as we head toward the morning commute. you can see around a mount hamill top, they are getting some snow indicated in pink. and as we pan around we have moderate to heavy rain. it is just near the golden gate bridge. this is near sausalito around 11:15. the heavier rain is coming. it is during the morning commute as a stropger storm will move in. urban and small stream flood advisory goes into affect at 5:00 a.m. and continues until 5:00 p.m. thursday. localized flooding of streets and under passes and poor drainage areas. we have a wind adv

the usgs now says last week's quake was 9.0, not 8.9, but for the moment all eyes are on a nuclear plant in northeastern japan, people who live within 20 miles of the fukushima reactor are being told to stay inside. now things out of japan are changing quickly. >> grace lee is here following developments on everything going on over there. grace? >> reporter: japanese officials say they have detected elevated levels in tokyo but it's not expected to be a health risk for 39 million people. but near the reactor radiation levels are definitely high enough to be a health hazard. at one point radiation levels jumped up to eight times what a person is normally exposed to in an entire year. they now believe that the container that house test nuclear reactor core has a leak. what this means is that people who live or work nearby may be exposed to radiation. this is by no means a chernobyl. that's the 1986 disaster when the nuclear core melted in the ukraine. but what does this mean for us here in california? well experts say it is highly unlikely than any radiation could reach our coast, most of

the usgs states quakes are not predictable brooklyn disagrees. >> mark: we all hope he's wrong.will be right >> mark: all in the cells of rain coming up rain fell, heavier cells your morning caffeine is really coming down at the interchange. we're watching it tracking ups in the northeast, also headed towards their courage in this bridge. heavy downpours picking a in intensity through midday. gm has decided to hold production intrude part louisiana because of a shortage of parts from japan that will close the next week, it is the first time and on a maker will stop production in north america over parks shortages. the automaker says it has plenty of cars to meet demand, they hope to have the plant running soon. >> darya: it causes include cause car prices to rise, in being forced to rise to the price because the shipment has slowed down. they will typically have to pay sticker price instead of enjoying discounts. toyota's prius as wallace honda is are the models that suddenly cause more. >> mark: nissan is scanning for radioactivity. a spokesperson says they will use all appropr

usgs officials are working on a monitoring system that shows that the ground is oversaturated meaning huge trees can fall over at any time and the ground is ripe for a mud slide. >> we see a lot of trees falling over around here, but, you know, it is just a way of life. we have earthquakes, we have high fire dangers out here, and we have trees that fall over and knock out our power from time to time. >> elsewhere in the oakland hills streets turned into rivers. nonstop rain caused soggy slopes to come sliding down. shepherd canyon had muddy waters sweep this car down the road and the driver had to be helped to safety. >>> further south people picking up the pieces after massive amounts of rain caused mudslides in santa cruz in the mountain there is. rushing water also turning roads into rivers. you can see the river of water on graham hill road in sonoma county. a man is lucky to be alive there in morning after the roof of his monte rio home stopped a giant tree from landing on his head. the man went out to investigate just as the tree came down. also in sonoma county a tree took out

meanwhile, i did check back with the usgs, 16 aftershocks in the past 24 hours, the latest one happening. still shaking there at a 5.9. meanwhile back here, nbc bay area's christie smith captured lightning happening. the telephone pole even bending in some of the wind. send pictures to feedback@nbcbayarea.com. thanks a lot, christie. meanwhile, wind gusts topped out at over 73 miles per hour in santa rosa with that ef-1 tornado. in livermore, we topped out with 39-mile-per-hour wind gusts. also that waterspout in ocean beach. more on that online. also numerous reports of hail tonight in san francisco, berkeley and richmond. we know you had a strong thunderstorm cell sitting over you for an hour and a half. that's since moved out. the rain mainly in the east bay also down into the south bay across san jose. we're finding areas of moderate rainfall. and for san jose also still remaining moderate at this time. but what we're finding are isolated regions of rain as the heaviest has pushed to the south. and winter storm warning until 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. while we're starting to wind do

usgs officials are working on a monitoring system that shows that the ground is oversaturated. that means huge trees. >> you know, it's just a way of life, you know? we have earthquakes, we have high fire dangers out here, and we have trees that fall over and knock out our power from time to time. >> reporter: business owners i talked to tonight feel like they're in the clear but they know that more rain is on the way and they say their sandbags are never too far away. reporting live in martinez, i'm cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news. >> got to keep those handy, thank you, cheryl. >>> a sonoma county man is lucky to be alive tonight. the roof of his house in monterio stopped a giant tree from landing on his head. the man heard loud noises outside and he went to investigate just as the tree came down. also in sonoma county, a tree took out an entire neighbor's power supply. >> in san jose a rush-hour rescue on highway 87. a driver spotted a man in the fast-moving guadalupe prifrp he saw the man clinging onto a tree in the river and then called for help. rescue crews searched the fr

we are not at the usgs if that's what you said. we are at the department of emergency management here in san francisco. folks can imagine, thecc1: here have been working overnight assessing the situation. they have been relying on reports from cnn and have been in touch with the california emergency management agency assessing the situation. dugin, o bring in robcc1: the deputy director here at the department. we want to let folks know the placecc1: order is not in this morning. >> that's correct. we are not asking anybody along the waterfront to evacuate. based on the data we have from the california emergency management agency and the scientific community, the actual result of this event is just a couple feet rise in the water. it will happen at around low tide. so what we are looking at just to put it in context is really ocean levels that are not any higher than our current high tide. >> reporter: so, again, it is a tsunami warning, which is the highest level. there are watches and then there's a warning, which is even more imm

according to the usgs, the quake struck almost nine miles underground, shaking buildings and churning up waves along the coast. train lines were temporarily stopped. no immediate reports, though, of damage or injuries. a residence along the coast have been warned to stay away from the shore. >>> a new surveillance video released today could be the key to catch a killer. the video reveals a mystery suspect in a triple homicide at a san jose nightclub. we want to warn you some of this video is violent. the video was taken at the mexicali nightclub back in january. it shows a man running across the screen wearing a bulletproof vest trying to drag the bar owner at gunpoint to a waiting suv. the club owner who police say feeling targeted over a drug debt was able to get free but was gunned down by the mystery man in the parking lot. the owner survived. the suspect escaped and remains on the loose. two other attackers were shot by a bar patron before being shot himself. all three men died from their injuries. >>> east bay police are searching for a convicted chil molester who appears to hav

usgs seismologists inkris kreesed the magnitude of the quake to 9.0, making it the fourth-strongest earthquakeeasured.

an expert with the usgs says it cause last lot of damage. the strongest after shock measured in 7.4. officials are closing companies and ordering evacuations as the aftershocks continue. >>> thousands are turning to a bay area company to try to connect with loved ones. overnight mountain view based google launched the people finder page. so far about 7,000 people have submitted their information. that's up from 2,000 a few hours ago. google has launched the person finder page in response to other natural disasters in the past. >> we want to go live to san francisco. san francisco mayor ed lee is talking right now. we'll see what he is saying. there's mayor ed lee of japan. >> over 7.2 aftershock which caused a tsunami wave to hit the northeast sector of japan. assuming it might come across the pacific ocean, through hawaii on to the west coast. since midnight last night through this morning we've been monitoring, with all of the data information and tsunami for the state of california and the whole west coast. as of today as of 8:08 we expec

we got word from bart a few minutes ago the usgs told that major transit agency it appears the worse was over, of course, the major concern here would be the transbay tube. >> yes, that's right, we are here at the lake merritt station, also home to bart's emergency operation center which was activated but there has been developments that it has now been deactivated after word from federal authorities that the worst is over and it does not appear bart service will be disrupted. bart had been monitoring the wave heights, if they were above 8 feet for a time they could have shut down service from west oakland over to daily city. they were monitoring that situation, deciding whether they needed to make that move. of course if they had done that that would have included the transbay tube. it is thetance bay tube and some of the stations below water, essentially below sea level raising concerns if the wave action had been significant coming in from this tsunami. now what we know right now of course is that bart service is operating normally. they have essentially a normal ride for friday.

. >> we along with the usgs discovered the shoreline fault. >> it's not understood it was just discovered. >> reporter: the operating license expires in five years. >> pg&e has 12 years to get this permit. it takes two years to go through the process. why the rush? in light of the new fault discovered and in light of japan. >> reporter: and here is numbers for you. u.s. 104 operating reactors. 62 licenses have been renewed. zero have been denied. pg&e saying it's all about safety. they have ground shaking censors and if they sense movement, the plants, they shut down. mike mibach, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> the nation's energy secretary told a hearing today that jupen enough nuclear crisis came about because of a extraordinary combination, the earthquake and tsunami. >> that combination of things that caused this. again, we have to plan for those combinations. >> he assured the senators the administration is doing all it can to make sure american nuclear plants are safe. >>> the anxiety over the radiation threat continues to grow. ktvu's jana katsuyama has this report. >> reporter: aftersho

the head of the usgs will face questions about the japanese earthquake and his agency's budget. that is at 9:30 a.m. eastern time. here on c-span, "washington journal" is next, live with your phone calls, followed by our phone calls, followed by our coverage

according to the usgs the smallest was 1.0. no reports of injuries or damage. >>> the california public utilities commission held a hearing today to see if pg&e was in contempt. pg&e officials testified why they should not be held in contempt. if they vote to hold pg&e in contempt it agreed to a $3 million fine right away and another $3 million fine if they don't meet new deadlines. >>> passengers terminal had the look of alou ow this morning at the airport. alos angelesa airlines first flight from oakland toia wey. -- cuwiy. >> hawaii got hit hard a cue years ago. but it really has come back. we are filling on all our planes. >> they will fly four flights a week. the first flight from san jose was yesterday. >>> encouraging economic news was not enough to sustain the stock market today. >> the major indexes were up most of the day. by the end of the day the dow given back 22 points. the nasdaq finished down 12 points. >>> stay with us. we will be right back. >>> libyan rebel forces battled governments troops in moammar gadhafi

as this brand new usgs animation, those waves slammed into northern california this morning. how much damage if any depended almost solely on the angle it hit various areas of the coast. >> the orientation of the harbor and the depth of the harbor then how the water funnels in. it causes the water to accelerate as the wave comes in. then you can also get eddy, the water can circulate around. because it's more than the typical tide current. it's going to tide damage if the morning lines aren't set properly. >> reporter: the shaking in japan created a series of major shocks. that created several wave pulses. some combining forces, some canceling each other out. >> you don't get a single wave, you get waves that are very complex. >> reporter: more on what happened when the wave got here and why. reporting live from minlow park, tom vacar. >>> and the oakland a's announced plan to raise money for the victims of the japanese tsunami. they are still working out the details but the game will feature seattle's suzuki and matsui issued a statement of condolence. "i pray for the safety

. >> the top usgs official said japan's warning system may have saved lives in japan. it gave people time to take action. >> that's enough time to slow the bullet trains, get people under desks, to -- to have an operating room, have the -- doctor the -- have the doctor pull the knife back. there's a number of things you can do in that short amount of time. >> funding to develop a similar system for the united states is running into problems in capitol hill. >>> in santa cruz, maureen naylor tells us how the wife of the man who owns that boat was overcome with emotion when she saw it. >> i'm just heartbroken for him more than anything. >> reporter: lynette watched and cried as what was -- what was left of the boat -- >> it wasn't a valuable boat but it meant so much to him. >> reporter: this is what the 24-foot boat looked like on friday, under water. >> the big surge came and pushed her under the dock. to me it was heartwrenching because we've been through a lot. >> reporter: today his sailboat was the last of ten sunken boats to be recovered and scrapped from the dama

. >> reporter: the in-bround sensors accumulate by cell signal to usgs computers which show how saturated ground is. >> if enough water accumulates, you generate that, you generate a landslide. >> reporter: for now, it's xan peerment an experiment. if it work, you may get advanced notice before the hill starts to slide. >> we can have a much better chance of forecasting when people are in danger of landslides. and that's our goal. >> reporter: the experiment is on going. the smaller sensors are located throughout the bay area. the larger sensors you saw in the story, there's one in marin county, one in south san francisco. reporting live, scott budman, nbc bay area news. >> so the technology side of thing, and then also the good old fashioned sand bags. crews and families working oversight, correct, to try to clean up this mess left behind by the storm in. >> reporter: that's right. i'm at oakland public works headquarters. they have a big pile of sand bags at the ready for residents to pick up here. localized flooding, mudslides and downed trees. we've seen it all today. >> there's a lot