海嘯到達美國西海岸

The first tsunami waves have reached the U.S. West Coast after sweeping past the country's Pacific island state of Hawaii. There have been no immediate reports of casualties in the U.S.

Waves of a meter or more hit the coastal state of Oregon on the U.S. mainland Friday. Residents in Oregon and northern California have been advised to evacuate low-lying areas. Emergency officials warned of possible flooding spawned by the tsunami, which developed after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan.

Waves of up to two meters hit the Hawaiian chain of islands, swamping the beach at the Waikiki resort on the island of Oahu. But there were no immediate reports of widespread damage.

In Washington, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley said there did not appear to be "any enormous impact" from the tsunami in Hawaii. He said the "enormous fears" about damage on the island state had "diminished greatly."

Emergency officials in Hawaii had hours to prepare after the quake struck. Residents in low-lying coastal areas were moved to community centers and schools on higher grounds. Many people waited in long lines to buy gas and groceries.

In a statement, President Barack Obama expressed condolences to the people of Japan and also said he has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be prepared to assist residents of Hawaii, U.S. Pacific territories and the U.S. West Coast.

第一波海嘯在襲擊美國夏威夷後已抵達美國西海岸。目前還沒有關於傷亡的報告。

高達一米以上的海浪星期五襲擊了美國沿海的俄勒岡州。俄勒岡和加利福尼亞州北部的居民已被告知撤離低窪地區。緊急事務官員警告說，海嘯有可能引起洪水。這次海嘯是由日本沿海8.9級地震引起的。

高達兩米的海浪襲擊了夏威夷羣島，淹沒了瓦胡島的威基基度假村的海灘。但目前沒有大規模財產損失的報告。

在華盛頓，白宮辦公廳主任戴利說，海嘯看來沒有在夏威夷造成“任何巨大的影響”。他說，對這個海島州造成損害的“巨大擔憂”已經“大大減弱”了。

地震發生後，夏威夷的緊急事務官員有幾個小時的準備時間。住在低窪沿海地區的居民被轉移到地勢較高的社區中心和學校。許多人排長隊加油、購買日用品。

奧巴馬總統在一份聲明中向日本人民表達了哀悼之情，並說，他已指示美國聯邦緊急事務管理署準備好協助夏威夷、美國太平洋領土和美國西海岸的居民。