Tsunami Warning Issued For West Coast

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Federal experts have now issued a tsunami advisory for possible dangerous currents in coastal areas of California and Oregon following a magnitude-8 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean near Samoa.

The areas under advisory include Point Reyes, the San Francisco Peninsula, northern and southern Monterey Bay and the Big Sur coastline.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said an advisory means that a tsunami capable of producing strong currents or waves dangerous to persons in or very near the water is imminent or expected.

The center said widespread inundation is not expected.

The initial wave arrivals will begin about 9 p.m. Tuesday and build toward the most hazardous period early Wednesday morning.

Warning center official Guy Urban said a tsunami of 12 inches to 26 inches has been measured since the earthquake. Urban said it would be dangerous to people swimming or on beaches near the water.

Sacramento Fire Capt. Jim Doucette said California Urban Search and Rescue, Task Force Team No. 7 from Sacramento, has been placed on alert for possible deployment to the Hawaiian Islands if needed.