A tsunami warning has been cancelled for coastal British Columbia.
Tsunami warning sirens went off in Tofino and other western BC coastal communities, and in coastal Alaska, after a powerful earthquake struck in waters southeast of Kodiak, Alaska overnight.
The U-S Geological Survey initially read the shallow quake's magnitude at 8.2, but it has since revised it to 7.9.
A public works employee in Tofino said residents in low-lying areas evacuated their homes and many had gathered at a community hall until they get the all-clear to return home. (The Canadian Press)
ORIGINAL STORY:
A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck off Alaska's Kodiak Island early today, prompting a tsunami warning for a large swath of coastal British Columbia and Alaska.
The remainder of the U-S West Coast is under a tsunami watch.
Tsunami warning sirens are going off in Tofino and other coastal communities in BC, and in Kodiak, Alaska.
Emergency Info BC says the tsunami warning covers the Juan de Fuca Strait coast, the outer west coast of Vancouver Island, the central coast and northeast Vancouver Island, and the north coast and Haida Gwaii.
The warning does not include Vancouver.
The agency says anyone in a tsunami warning area should evacuate inland or to higher ground, or move to an upper floor of a multi-story building, depending on individual situations.
(The Canadian Press)