Honolulu:
Hawaii and other parts of the Pacific are bracing for a destructive tsunami after a massive earthquake struck in Japan.
Tsunami sirens were sounded and coastal areas were being evacuated in Hawaii, where the first waves were expected to hit at 3 a.m. Friday.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center widened its tsunami warning beyond East Asia late Thursday to include Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Central and South America and the rest of the Pacific Ocean.
A lesser tsunami watch was issued for the entire western coast of the United States and Canada from the Mexican border to Chignik Bay in Alaska.