The main airports on at least three of the major islands — Maui, Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii — were shut down as a precaution, and the US Navy ordered all warships in Pearl Harbor to remain in port to support rescue missions as needed.
Authorities also ordered evacuations from low-lying areas on the US island territory of Guam in the western Pacific, where residents there were urged to move at least 50 feet (15 meters) above sea level and 100 feet (30 meters) inland.
Guam initially appeared to have emerged unscathed.
“So far no waves,” Lorilee Crisostomo told Reuters by telephone from Guam, roughly an hour after the tsunami was first due, though forecasters set a four-hour window in which a wave could hit the island.
Guam’s homeland security agency advised tourists in high-rise hotels to take shelter on the sixth floor and above.
“A lot of people who aren’t from Guam are panicking,” said Homeland Security spokeswoman Alyssa Benito, adding, “We’ve never been hit by a major tsunami.”
The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the warning extended from Mexico down the Pacific coast of South America.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warned that the tsunami was currently higher than some Pacific islands in its path.
The quake off Japan’s northeast coast was the biggest in 140 years and triggered tsunami waves of up to 10 meters (30 feet) that swept across farmland, carrying away homes, crops, vehicles and triggering fires.
On Easter Island, a Chilean territory in the South Pacific, authorities planned to move residents to higher ground hours before a possible tsunami was expected to reach the volcanic isle on Friday afternoon.
Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera, whose country was hit by a devastating 8.8 magnitude quake and ensuing tsunamis that killed more than 500 people a year ago, called on Chileans to remain alert, but to continue with their daily routines.
GAS LINES, ALARMED TOURISTS
The tsunami warning issued late on Thursday for Hawaii prompted civil defense officials to order all Hawaiian coastal areas evacuated by 2 a.m. local time, about an hour before the first wave was expected to hit the islands at 1300 GMT.
The evacuation zone included the famous Waikiki Beach, the main hotel and tourist hub in Honolulu on the island of Oahu.
Civil defense sirens blared statewide starting shortly before 10 p.m. local time, and police with bullhorns urged residents near shore to higher ground. Authorities also walked the beaches to awaken homeless people.
Lines for gasoline stretched for blocks, and people rushed to stores to stock up on emergency supplies and water. Downtown Honolulu and Waikiki were packed with motorists trying to leave for higher ground and for shelters set up by the state.
To assist alarmed tourists from Japan thronging Waikiki, some local news broadcasters began speaking in Japanese, advising them to consult with their hotel desk clerks for guidance and instructions.
As Hawaiians braced for a tsunami, government geologists reported that a 4.6 magnitude earthquake was unleashed at about 11 p.m. by the restive Kilauea Volcano, which has been spewing lava and triggering small seismic tremors since it rumbled back to life last Saturday.
Scientists said the latest temblor at Kilauea, centered on the volcano’s southern flank, posed no threat of a tsunami.
Ocean waves up to 6 feet (2 meters) above normal sea level were detected by deep-ocean gauges near Wake island, Midway and Guam in the North Pacific, said Chip McCreary, a spokesman for the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The island of Kauai was expected to be the first hit in Hawaii because the tsunami was advancing from the west and would likely take 20 to 30 minutes to cross the entire state, McCreary said.
