I'm currently experiencing my first
Tsunami Warning.

The first earthquake, measuring a 7.4 on the Richter scale, struck at 6:50 p.m. San Francisco time, centering 90 miles northwest of Eureka, California. A second earthquake measuring a 5.1 struck at 7:57 p.m. 92 miles northeast of San Francisco...
A tsunami warning was issued for the western coasts of the U.S. and parts of Mexico and Canada after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of California, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in an e-mail alert. A second earthquake struck 76 miles west-northwest of Sacramento, the state's capital.

A tsunami warning was in effect for the coastal areas of the California-Mexico border to the northern tip of Vancouver, British Columbia, the West Coast Tsunami Warning Center said. A warning indicates that coastal locations in the warned area should be prepared for flooding, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

oh wait...it just got cancelled.

Well...that was exciting!

A tsunami warning initially issued along the Pacific coast has since been cancelled.

The 7.0-magnitude quake struck at about 7:50 p.m. southwest of the coastal community of Crescent City and 300 miles northwest of San Francisco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site.

Witnesses felt buildings shaking along the California coast but there were no immediate reports of damage.

A tsunami warning was briefly in effect from the California-Mexico border all the way north to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, but was called off about an hour after the quake hit.

KCBS radio reported that residents were being evacuated from low-lying areas of Crescent City, which was struck by a tsunami after an earthquake four decades ago.

Stuart Weinstein, a geologist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, said that if a tsunami were generated, it would not be as strong as the Dec. 26 killer wave in the Indian Ocean.

"We're not expecting anything huge from an event this size," added Charles McCreery, the center's director.

two stories on this page

1. Here is the full text of the entire article in case the link goes bad:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=abFBiZWGRk7Y&refer=top_world_news

Tsunami Warning Issued for Western Coast of U.S. (Update1)

June 14 (Bloomberg) -- A tsunami warning was issued for the western coasts of the U.S. and parts of Mexico and Canada after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of California, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in an e-mail alert. A second earthquake struck 76 miles west-northwest of Sacramento, the state's capital.

A tsunami warning was in effect for the coastal areas of the California-Mexico border to the northern tip of Vancouver, British Columbia, the West Coast Tsunami Warning Center said. A warning indicates that coastal locations in the warned area should be prepared for flooding, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The first earthquake, measuring a 7.4 on the Richter scale, struck at 6:50 p.m. San Francisco time, centering 90 miles northwest of Eureka, California. A second earthquake measuring a 5.1 struck at 7:57 p.m. 92 miles northeast of San Francisco.

A tsunami watch was issued for the coastal areas of Vancouver to Sitka, a town of southeast Alaska. A tsunami watch means a tsunami has not been confirmed, though a recent earthquake may have generated large waves that could affect the area.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Jessica Brice in San Francisco at jbrice1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 14, 2005 23:55 EDT

2. http://www.ktvu.com/earthquakes/4610090/detail.html

POSTED: 8:07 pm PDT June 14, 2005
UPDATED: 9:33 pm PDT June 14, 2005

EUREKA -- A major earthquake with a prelimenary magnitude of 7.0 has occurred off the coast of Northern California approximately 90 miles west of Eureka. A tsunami warning initially issued along the Pacific coast has since been cancelled.

The 7.0-magnitude quake struck at about 7:50 p.m. southwest of the coastal community of Crescent City and 300 miles northwest of San Francisco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site.

Witnesses felt buildings shaking along the California coast but there were no immediate reports of damage.

A tsunami warning was briefly in effect from the California-Mexico border all the way north to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, but was called off about an hour after the quake hit.

KCBS radio reported that residents were being evacuated from low-lying areas of Crescent City, which was struck by a tsunami after an earthquake four decades ago.

Stuart Weinstein, a geologist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, said that if a tsunami were generated, it would not be as strong as the Dec. 26 killer wave in the Indian Ocean.

"We're not expecting anything huge from an event this size," added Charles McCreery, the center's director.

Scientists were waiting for signs of any powerful ocean waves to reach tide gauges placed up and down the West Coast, Weinstein said.

"We're monitoring our sea gauges pretty carefully," he said.

In the spring of 1964, a magnitude-8.4 quake in Alaska generated tsunamis that caused damage there and in British Columbia, and in the states of Washington, California and Hawaii. More than 120 died.

Hardest hit was Crescent City, where 11 people were killed after waves reaching as much as 20 feet destroyed half of the waterfront business district.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.