From http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americ...ex.html?hpt=T1

Pacific under tsunami threat after massive 8.8 quake strikes Chile

(CNN) -- A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake rocked Chile early Saturday, killing at least 122 people and triggering tsunami warnings for the entire Pacific basin.

"I would like to offer my condolences to the families of the 122 people who lost their lives during the earthquake," said Chilean President-Elect Sebastian Pinera. "And by the way, the number of victims could get higher."
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said she expected the death toll to rise.
"We are taking all the necessary measures at this time," she said.

Officials did not give any information on the number of those injured. The full extent of the damage was not yet known, although there were reports of collapsed buildings and hundreds of people in the streets.

The capital of Santiago lost electricity and basic services including water and telephones. Bachelet said regional hospitals had suffered damage; some were evacuated. A major bridge connecting northern and southern Chile was rendered inoperable, and the Santiago airport was shut down for at least the next 24 hours.

Chilean television showed buildings in tatters in Concepcion, with whole sides torn off. At least two buildings there were engulfed in flames, and roads in the city were broken up, video showed.
Television Nacional de Chile reported that only three stories of a 15-story building remained standing.

Numerous aftershocks -- including one of magnitude 6.9 -- were felt within hours of the initial quake, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
"There are really aftershocks like every hour," said Felipe Baytelman, speaking to CNN from Santiago.

The quake's epicenter was located off the coast of Maule, about 200 miles southwest of Santiago. It struck at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. ET), when most people were sleeping.

"This is a major event. This happened near some very populated areas," said Randy Baldwin, a geophysicist with USGS. "With an 8.8 you expect damage to the population in the area."

The earth's rumbling was felt by millions in Chile and in parts of Argentina, as well. Some buildings in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, were evacuated....



And from: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/ap...100227015/1352

Hawaii remains under tsunami warning, sirens to sound at 6 a.m

The state Department of Transportation is urging all shipping agents and shipping companies to get their ships out of port this morning following an anticipated 6 a.m. tsunami warning.


One cruise ship is scheduled to arrive in Honolulu Harbor for refueling this morning but is scheduled to leave before 6 a.m., DOT spokeswoman Tammy Mori said.

Harbor police are also physically notifying harbor tenants about the warning.

The DOT's harbors, airports and highways divisions are all preparing for the possibility of a tsunami, Mori said.

Mori encouraged people to stay off roads to let those in tsunami evacuation zones evacuate — if necessary, Mori said.

If the tsunami warning alarms sound at 6 a.m., "we are urging people not to panic," Mori said. "It's important that those in low-lying areas can get to higher ground. We want to remind people that they have five hours to evacuate after the alarms sound."

Flight operations currently are not affected, Mori said.

But all DOT vehicles at Hawaii airports have been fueled and extra staff are on alert in case a tsunami hits, she said.