Earthquake hits near Samoa, causes 5-foot tsunami
Posted: 02:24 PM ET
(CNN) — An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 struck in the Samoan Islands region Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The temblor generated three separate tsunami waves that are spreading, the largest which measures 5.1 feet from sea level height, Vindell Hsu, a geophysicist with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, told CNN. Preliminary data had originally reported a larger tsunami.

A tsunami warning was in effect for American Samoa, Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga, and Fiji, among others in the South Pacific archipelago, according to a bulletin from the center. A tsunami watch was issued for islands further away from the epicenter, including Hawaii and Papua New Guinea.

Officials were still determining whether the tsunami that was generated could reach Hawaii, the center told CNN. It was possible that a very decreased wave could reach Hawaii at about 1:18 p.m. (7:18 ET), Hsu said.

The quake is not expected to generate a tsunami along the west coast of the United States or Canada, according to the West Coast and Alaska Tsumani Warning Center. There were no immediate reports of damage.

The quake was recorded at about 6:48 a.m. (1:28 p.m. ET) at a depth of about 7.4 miles (11.9 km), the USGS reported. Early reports had the magnitude at 7.9, but the USGS upgraded that to 8.0 about two hours after the initial report.

The airports in American Samoa and Samoa were closed in anticipation of a tsunami, but for now, “we haven’t seen any big waves at the moment,” Samoa airport employee Alefosao Mapulino told CNN.

my son-in-law is stationed with the Navy in Guam, but is currently somewhere on a ship in the pacific ocean. My daughter told me tonight when she met me at soccor practice for grandson that he is somewhere in the vicinity of this, that was all he could tell her.
So say a prayer for him and for my daughter not to be too overcome with worry. Tks,

Video of aftermath of second wave that hit American Samoa.

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8709216

Oh dear Lord,They are all in my prayers.

son-inlaw is safe and his not part of ships being sent in.
thanks for concern.

but have watched some on the news, I had to stop, the stories are just heartbreaking.