While I was sleeping.

Magnitude 8.9 earthquake in Japan, bad tsunami waves there. It's 5 a.m. in Portland, and the waves are supposed to hit Hawaii in one hour? Two hours? I'm getting mixed reports. I can't find any predictions of wave height. Evacuation is well underway and my family is not coastal, but I'm nervous obviously. Wave will hit West Coast later.

Wish I knew more.

EDIT: Biggest earthquake in Japan in recorded history. Death toll 60, 56 missing, numbers still rising. Oh god you guys.

EDIT: Guam reported no waves an hour after expected. Still within possible window, but... maybe it will be okay? ...Japan is not okay.

EDIT: There's some kind of problem with a nuclear reactor in Japan that was damaged in the quake? ...Fuck, I have to get ready for work, but.... DDDDD:

EDIT: Oh good, Dar woke up and says she can take me to work. Looks like no big waves in Marianas, 2.5 feet in Saipan, 1.5 feet Wake Island, 8.2 feet Midway, biggest waves in Hawaii could be more than 6 feet; biggest waves expected in Haleiwa and Hilo. Of course. Thank you Hilo Bay and your damn tsunami magnifier. First waves have hit Kaua'i and O'ahu, not too bad yet, 1.5 feet at Nawiliwili Harbor and rising, surge apparent from Diamond Head cameras. First waves are not always the worst, so we'll see. ...Some people were refusing to evacuate, wtf.

EDIT: Death toll in Japan now 200-300. Jesus fuck.

EDIT: First wave in Hawaii 3 feet. Not bad. So far. Could get bigger.

EDIT: Listening to NPR at work. 6 foot waves reported in Hawaii. Waves up to 5 feet in Aleutians, no reported damage. Over 300 dead in Japan, people still missing.

EDIT: Surges of more than 7 feet in Kahului Harbor, yikes. The gauge at Nawiliwili Harbor showed a 2.1 foot surge; Haleiwa recorded a 3.6 foot surge; and Hanalei recorded 2.8 feet. The weather service says a gauge at Hilo Harbor showed a 2-foot surge. Kawaihae saw a 2.8 foot increase. No damage reports have been received yet, but damage is expected in Kahului, obviously. The all clear will not be given until dawn.

EDIT: Over 400 dead in Japan, hundreds injured or missing. The wave was 23 feet high and surged several miles inland. Fires are still burning out of control in Kessennuma and other towns. Seems like they might have that nuclear power plant situation under control... the plant in question lost some cooling water and remained hot when the others shut down automatically; they've evacuated 1000 people from the immediate vicinity, but so far there have been no radiation leaks. Senator Inouye's wife was in Tokyo, she's fine. Tokyo's pretty much fine, although there are some fires and some people were injured in structural collapses. Oregon coast is seeing surges up to the high tide mark; there's still time for bigger waves.

EDIT: The streets of Tokyo are packed with people stranded in the city and trying to walk home as all of the trains had shut down. Some trains are starting up again.

Report from my mother

"Not as much damage as there could have been. I'm okay in Hilo, haven't heard from anyone else but if Tony stayed in his penthouse we're likely all just fine.

My office is in an inundation zone, and we're still on a Watch so I couldn't get there even if I wanted to because the area is evacuated and roadblocks are in place. County offices are closed, schools are closed, and my boss just told me that there's no work for me today.

3' waves on Kauai, a foot or so in Pearl Harbor, 7' in Kahului Harbor (flooded about a block inland), Kona got damaged, no word on Hilo yet. Apparently Kealakekua Bay had a surge that went in 100'. Flooding in Lahaina, Kihei...I'm listening to the radio now.

No deaths or injuries here. Japan...that's another matter.

Lots of debris on Maui coasts, no reports of property damage.

As of 7:09 this a.m., there is no all-clear yet."

EDIT: More from my mother: "Still zero word on anything here in Hilo; Kona Coast seems pretty messed up, though, and I hear a restaurant in Honolulu (Sand Island area) is destroyed.

Water as high as 11 feet in Kona, reached "the lobby of a hotel" per NPR.

The earthquake I felt last night while checking my facebook pages is apparently M4.6... A few of my FB friends felt it, too. I was told it was off the Kalapana coast." [Hawaii's earthquake last night was unrelated to the one in Japan.]

And later: "No damage reported on Kauai. Extensive damage at Keehi Small Boat Harbor on Oahu. Wave was 4.5 feet in Hilo, no reports of damage."

And: "Surge in Kahului harbor went in 1/3 mile.

11' surge in Kailua-Kona. King Kam hotel lobby got flooded. Canoes damaged. Sections of Alii Drive are gone. Repeated surges over the 8' seawall. NPR airing a call from my friend Jan War who works at the Natural Energy Lab near Keahole Airport; the lab is okay.

Honolulu Airport is open, but apparently a number of big planes heading here (including from Japan) turned around.

I think it's kinda weird there's zero word about Hilo Bay!"

I am also stalking the Honolulu Star-Advertiser website. Waves in Kahului reached up to 12 feet. Waves caused relatively minor but widespread damage in Kailua-Kona: a foot of water in the King Kam lobby; water entered Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and several other businesses fronting Kailua Bay. At least $500,000 of damage at La Mariana Sailing Club in Ke'ehi Lagoon; three docks were destroyed and some boats sank. The "all clear" has been issued for O'ahu and Kaua'i; my dad says the tsunami warning has been downgraded from a warning to an advisory.

Listening to NPR: the U.S. is rushing coolant to the damaged nuclear power plant in Japan and is promising to help with disaster clean-up. Japanese authorities are considering releasing a cloud of slightly radioactive steam to relieve pressure in the plant. So far high waves but no damage on the Oregon coast. We were really lucky; the tsunami hit as the tide was going out, otherwise it might have been worse. The highest West Coast waves so far were 8.1 feet in Santa Cruz, California; caused some damage and sank some boats. Four people in Crescent City, California were swept out to sea; one of them died.

Tsunami media spam post

The aftershocks of the earthquake are still shaking Japan at magnitudes of up to 6.3. The Japanese government estimates at least 1000 casualties; 500 people are still unaccounted for. California towns are still experiencing surges; docks have been destroyed, boats are sinking or floating loose and floating out to sea or running into things, causing more damage. In northern Mexico they are experiencing high waves, but no damage thus far.

( Videos of tsunami damage in Japan and Hawaii. )

( Photos of the flooding and damage in Kailua-Kona, where the worst of the Big Island's damage occurred, taken by the friend of a friend of my sister-in-law. )