Hawaii and parts of California under tsunami advisory after quake in Chili

Peruvian authorities said waves of less than 1 meter (3 feet) could hit the country’s southern shoreline at 8:30 p.m. local time (2130 ET) and urged people to avoid coastal areas.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is reporting that all missionaries in Chile are safe after a major 8.3 magnitude quake hit off the coast Wednesday, September 16.

It occurred at a shallow depth, 228km north of Santiago, a city of 6.6 million people.

“Small sea level changes and strong or unusual currents may persist for several additional hours in some coastal areas and appropriate caution should exercised by boaters and swimmers”, the center said.

In 2010, a magnitude-8.8 quake and ensuing tsunami in south-central Chile killed more than 500 people, destroyed 220,000 homes and washed away docks, riverfronts and seaside resorts.

He also said it’s not unusual to see small tsunami waves on the B.C. coast following natural disaster events, like the 2011 Tohoku quake off the coast of Japan.

The National Tsunami Warning Center says an advisory remains in effect for Ragged Point, California and San Onofre State Beach, California.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that “hazardous” tsunami waves were possible for some coasts, including above three meters (10 feet) the tide level along parts of Chile’s shoreline.

A state of emergency was declared in the region around the coastal city of Coquimbo, which the Navy said had been hit by waves up to 15 feet.

The powerful quake, which was followed by a series of aftershocks that reached up to 7 on the Richter scale, was felt throughout the nation as well as in Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina.

Neil Klopfenstein, 35, told BuzzFeed News he was in Santiago, Chile, when the quake struck.

Dozens of strong aftershocks continued to rattle central Chile, a largely agricultural region south of the mining belt, yesterday. There were no immediate reports of damage.