Hawaii Bracing for Potential Tsunami

A tsunami threatened the Pacific Rim on Saturday, with an 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Chile sending potentially deadly waves across the ocean at the speed of a jetliner.

Hawaii woke residents with sirens, alerting them to the waves. A tsunami warning — the highest alert level — was issued earlier for the island chain. Boats and people near the coast were being evacuated. Hilo International Airport, located along the coast, was closed.

Residents are hitting grocery and drug stores to stock up on supplies.  The first big waves could hit this afternoon eastern time.

Other places in the Pacific are also preparing for a big wave.  On the Island of Tonga, police and defense forces have begun a mass evacuation from low-lying coastal areas as they warned residents that tsunami waves about three feet (one meter) high could wash ashore within three hours.