#Tsunami advisory for B.C. coast
The north and central B.C. coast, along with the west coast of Vancouver Island from Cape Scott to Port Renfrew, were on tsunami advisories early Friday after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck in Japan.
Advisories are not as severe as a warning, but the Provincial Emergency Co-ordination Centre is advising local governments in coastal areas to activate emergency plans.
"We are in an advisory situation here, where we could see a potential strong currents in harbours and isolated coastal areas," Kelli Kryzanowski of Emergency Management B.C. in Victoria, told CBC News.
"They aren't expecting to see any massive inundation, but we are looking at some potential waves about 50 centimetres or so."
Kryzanowski added: "People that are on the beaches could get knocked off their feet. This comes in as you can see with an incredible amount of force, so we do want people off the beaches as well as boats in harbours and marinas [that might] suffer some damage."
Evacuation orders have been issued for some low-lying parts areas of B.C., where waves could hit as soon as 6:30 a.m. PT.
The potentially affected areas include B.C.'s north coast, Haida Gwaii, Bella Bella and the outer west coast of Vancouver Island, including Cape Scott running to Port Renfrew.
"The east coast of Vancouver Island is not at threat, and neither is Victoria or Vancouver," Kryzanowski said.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center widened its tsunami warning beyond East Asia to include Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Central and South America, and much of the Pacific Ocean.
Tsunami sirens were sounded and coastal areas were being evacuated in Hawaii, where a small wave had already struck.
The tsunami advisory along Canada's west coast was issued by the West Coast Alaska Tsunami Warning Centre, and extends from Alaska all the way south to Mexico.
"In British Columbia, we have what is called the provincial emergency notification system …," said Kryzanowski.
"We send out a thousand phone calls to local authorities, stakeholders such as RCMP, fire and utilities, as well as to the media. Then the local authorities activate their local emergency plans, open up the emergency operation centres, and begin to notify those in their jurisdiction who require to be evacuated."
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