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Pamela Young, KITV presenter: Tsunami "may be three feet above but it's very turbulant below"
A tsunami triggered by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake thousands of miles away in Canada has hit the island chain of Hawaii, with no damage reported so far.
Emergency sirens sounded late on Saturday to alert residents, and evacuations of low-lying areas were ordered.
The first waves were reported to be up to 2.5ft (76cm) in one area.
Wave heights of three to six feet were predicted in some areas, as "urgent action" was advised to protect lives.
There were no immediate reports of damage on the Canadian coast following the earthquake.
Tsunami alerts that were issued for coastal areas of Alaska and British Columbia were swiftly downgraded.
The quake hit 125 miles (200km) south-west of the Canadian mining town of Prince Rupert at a depth of 11 miles (18km), said the US Geological Survey.
Initially, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said it did not expect a threat beyond the immediate area.
But later it issued a warning that a "tsunami has been generated that could cause damage along the coastline of all islands in the state of Hawaii."
First waves hit the archipelago from around 22:30 local (08:30GMT) onwards.
"Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property," the warning said. People living in areas considered to be at risk were urged to move to higher ground.
After the first wave struck, Hawaii's Lt Governor, Brian Schatz, tweeted that water was now receding in Hilo Harbour, on Hawaii or 'Big Island'.
But he also reminded people that the first wave was not usually the biggest, and that surges could continue for six to seven hours.
Initial local media reports from around the islands suggested that wave heights recorded so far had generally been about six inches, with 2.5ft in one place - Kahului Harbor.
A senior scientist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, Gerard Fryer, told journalists the tsunami had arrived as predicted, but he had been "expecting it to be a little bigger."
About an hour after the tsunami surges started, Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle told KITV News it was too early yet to give the all clear for people to move back.
He said further information had to be evaluated. "This is not an exact science," he said.
One eyewitness watching the beaches on Kauai island told the BBC that the waves were big and that a "strange mixture of fear and anticipation" reigned.
"A plane with a siren flew over ... and everyone left the beach and coastal buildings. All the boats have been taken out of the water. It's empty down there which is weird. People went buying gas and groceries," Mike Dexter-Smith said.
Hawaii is made up of hundreds of islands, spread over some 1,500 miles.
Wave heights of three to six feet have been predicted in some areas, with the biggest waves expected in Hilo, Kahului, Haleiwa and Hanalei, local media reported.
'Everything moving'The quake struck the coast of western Canada at around 03:00 GMT and was followed by a 5.8 magnitude aftershock.
Urs Thomas, operator of the Golden Spruce hotel in Port Clements, close to the epicentre, said the initial quake lasted about three minutes.
"It was a pretty good shock," he told Associated Press. "I looked at my boat outside. It was rocking. Everything was moving. My truck was moving."
A resident of the mainland town of Prince Rupert, Grainne Barthe, told AP: "Everything was moving. It was crazy. I've felt earthquakes before but this was the biggest. It was nerve-wracking. I thought we should be going under a table."
Following the quake, small waves measuring 69 cm (27 inches) were reported on the north-east tip of Haida Gwai, while parts of the north-east coast of Vancouver Island saw waves up to 55cm high.
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