Breaking News: Shocking Footage of Tsunami in Japan; Minimal Damage Reported in Hawaii, West Coast (Updated Videos)

If, like us, you woke up to news this morning of the 8.9 earthquake (amongst the most powerful in history) and the resulting tsunami in Japan, and the warnings that it's headed to Hawaii and the West Coast, you're just getting around to watching some of the truly horrific footage coming out of Japan.

According to CNN, the Prime Minister Naoto Kan of Japan said the "enormously powerful" earthquake has caused "tremendous damage" throughout Japan, with particular damage inflicted in the Sendai area, about 230 miles from Tokyo.

The quake, which struck at 2:46 pm local time in Japan, sparked fires in at least 80 locations, and "unleashed walls of water Friday that swept across rice fields, engulfing towns, dragging houses onto highways and tossing cars and boats like toys, apparently killing hundreds and forcing the evaucations of tens of thousands."

Check back here for regularly updated footage as it comes in.

Update: According to Canadian news source CBC News, the death toll in northeast Japan from the tsunami and earthquake could rise dramatically, with new reports from Japanese authorities that 9,500 people are unaccounted for in the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi Prefecture.

Update: Daylight footage of the devastation in Japan.

Update: CNN just released a list of resources for those interested in finding loved ones in Japan or assisting in aid efforts, including the incredibly useful Google People Finder.

Update: According to a Reuters bulletin, "initial reports from U.S. civil defense officials and residents of coastal communities suggested the force of the tsunami, a giant wall of water, had dissipated as it sped across the Pacific Ocean toward North America." Hawaii also appears to be in the clear after large waves were reported briefly throughout parts of the island chain. "An Obama administration official said Hawaii appeared to be out of major danger," said the report.

Update: A tsunami warning is now in effect for the coastal areas of California and Oregon from Point Concepcion, California to the Oregon-Washington border; for the coastal areas of Alaska from Amchitka Pass, Alaska to Attu, Alaska; for the coastal areas of California from the California-Mexico border to Point Concepcion, California; and for the coastal areas of Washington, British Columbia and Alaska from the Oregon-Washington border to Amchitka Pass, Alaska.

Update: Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to aid the victims in Japan.

More shocking photos: