Don't panic if you hear the word "tsunami" interrupting your radio listening, internet surfing, or television watching tomorrow morning. Barring the real deal taking place, there is a planned test exercise scheduled for September 21st by the National Weather Service to see if all systems are go when it comes to warning the West Coast. more ›

Federal regulators, concluding their first inspection of the San Onofre nuclear generating station following the events that unfolded at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant, deemed the San Onofre nuclear generating station at "extremely low risk of a meltdown in an earthquake," reports the Daily Breeze. more ›

The 9.0 magnitude Japanese earthquake and tsunami that hit Northern Japan last month has left the media's collective memory and most front-page headlines, but help and assistance is still needed. A number of local benefits tonight and on Tuesday aim to help the Japanese people—all we have to do is listen to music or eat, drink, shop and be merry. more ›

A 7.1-magnitude aftershock struck off northeast coast of Japan this morning, roughly 50 miles east of Sendai, Honshu, the same area that was devastated in last month's 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Earlier this morning a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Southern Mexico, in the state of Veracruz. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. more ›

An oceanographer who collects flotsam on Washington's Pacific Coast predicts that flotsam and debris from last month's tsunami in Japan could be hitting our shores within a year. "If you put a major city through a trash grinder and sprinkle it on the water, that's what you're dealing with," Curt Ebbesmeyer, a retired oceanographer and Seattle-based consultant for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explained. more ›

A disaster like last week's massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan will provoke not only sympathy and outreach from Angelenos, but also signals a need to be aware and prepared for what a tsunami could mean for us here. To that end, the City of Los Angeles has released a set of three guides for each of three coastal regions that explain what a tsunami is, and how locals can be prepared and survive. more ›

Jokes about the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan? Too soon, and, for one prominent insurer, far enough out of line to cost one of their pitchmen his job. Aflac, the insurance company whose U.S. commercials have starred Gottfried as the voice of its iconic duck since 2000, does a large percentage of its business in Japan, and is the nation's top insurer "in terms of individual policies in force and the largest foreign insurer in Japan in terms of premium income." more ›

Operators at Leslie Nielsen's favorite domed coastal facility, the San Onofre nuclear plant, are doing their best to reassure residents that the terrifying nuclear events currently unfolding in Japan will not happen here. Southern California Edison operates the station, and according to a spokesman, "the 84-acre generating station in the northern corner of San Diego County is built to withstand a magnitude 7.0 earthquake," reports LA Now. more ›

In Crescent City, where damage is estimated to top $25 million, repeated surges, some nearing eight feet, tossed boats and left one person dead. The man swept out to sea while photographing the waves has been identified as Dustin Weber, 25, believed to be from Bend, Oregon, reports KTLA. more ›

The cast of the upcoming installment of the "Twilight" trilogy (er, tetralogy?) were forced off Vancouver Island early this morning due to the tsunami warning triggered by the magnitude 8.9 earthquake in Japan. But the evacuation of cast members, which included Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner did not go down without drama. more ›

The Los Angeles County Urban Search and Rescue team is headed to Japan following one of the biggest earthquakes in recorded history. Hundreds are feared dead after an 8.9 earthquake and tsunami generating powerful waves as high as 23 feet rattled northeastern Japan (our full coverage here and here. more ›

Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, one of 14 Japanese baseball players on 2010 Major League rosters, still hasn't heard from his brother. His wife and children live with him in L.A. but he is concerned about several friends from Sendai, where hundreds of bodies are reported to have washed ashore following the tsunami. more ›

Our sister site SFist flagged live video from Santa Cruz showing boat damage resulting from the violent swells created by the tsunami generated by the mega 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Japan nearly 12 hours ago. more ›

It snowed last weekend in Los Angeles (okay, in outer LA), and if that’s not a sign of the end times I don’t know what is. Actually, it’s just a sign of shifting weather patterns and maybe global warming, but crazy weather is a good reminder that the potential for natural disaster is ever looming. more ›

A new report from the National Academies of Science has concluded that the West Coast, particularly Northern California through Washington, is not prepared for tsunami activity. One main cause of concern is the Cascadia subduction zone, which is not located near Los Angeles. more ›

Following the magnitude 7.7 earthquake northwest of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, no tsunami activity is expected along the West Coast, says the AP. That's because the quake, which occurred at 3:15 p.m., PST, "was outside the Pacific basin." But just in case you live, work or play near the beach, check out the state's tsunami evacuation maps for the Los Angeles area. The quake was originally reported as a 7.8. more ›

Now the recently released series of inundation maps covering the most vulnerable areas of California's coast (here are the L.A. maps) have been released in conjunction with Tsunami Awareness & Preparedness Week, thanks to the California Geological Survey along with California Emergency Management Agency and Tsunami Research Center at USC. more ›

As expected, the North American West Coast is seeing some tsunami activity following this morning's deadly 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Chile. At around midday those in beach communities in Southern California began to see a change in the Pacific as a series of surges hit the shoreline. The activity is hard to uniformly predict, however we're largely looking to experience 2-4 foot surges for a period of about two hours. more ›

While here in Los Angeles and the greater Southern California area are anticipating Pacific wave activity as a result of today's early morning devastating 8.8 quake off the coast of Chile, many are working diligently reach loved ones in South America and regions under more serious tsunami warnings. Additionally, many here might be interested in ways to help out in the relief and recovery in Chile, and as a result, Google has just launched a Crisis Response portal where you can donate funds to the American Red Cross and UNICEF, get updates from news sources, and locate loved ones. To follow relief efforts and opportunities for aid, you can also follow the Red Cross on Twitter. more ›

The massive early-morning quake off the coast of Chile has dozens of Pacific-bordering nations on alert as the shifting of plates are causing tsunami conditions in the water. The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center issued an advisory for the North American West Coast, though it is important to note that while the effects can be dangerous, they are not expected to be devastating here:

Tsunami Advisory means that a tsunami capable of producing strong currents or waves dangerous to persons in or very near the water is imminent or expected. Significant, widespread inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory. Currents may be hazardous to swimmers, boats, and coastal structures and may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival.

A tsunami advisory has been issued for the California coast this morning following the overnight magnitude-8.8 earthquake that struck off the coast of Chile, according to the LA Times. "An advisory means there may be strong currents, but that widespread inundation is not expected to occur." more ›

New tsunami maps were released today by the state, but it appears there are only minor differences for Los Angeles neighborhoods in comparison to maps released by the city years ago. Nevertheless, if you live near the coast, it doesn't hurt to check the maps out just to be sure. more ›

It was Sunday night when a friend of LAist texted us an invite to a small ad hoc fundraiser at Handmade Galleries in Sherman Oaks. "Come by," he wrote, "vegan sri lanka food." Having enjoyed Tara's Himalayan Cuisine on Venice Boulevard in the past, this opportunity for a new food couldn't be passed. more ›

An 8.0 earthquake off the Vanatu Islands today prompted various tsunami watches and warnings in the South Pacific and a tsunami advisory for Hawaii. However, California and the rest of the West Coast, including Alaska, have not been put under any notifications from government officials, as of 4:27 p.m. PST. more ›

Local beaches have been cleared of the tsunami advisory issued yesterday in response to the massive earthquake in the South Pacific, reports KTLA. This morning Los Angeles County lifeguards announced they'd conducted patrols of the beach overnight and "found no dangerous currents or other hazards." more ›

• With all the tsunami talk, what's the difference between an advisory, currently in effect for Los Angeles County beaches, and watches/warnings?
• Some valets are still illegally marking spaces as valet only.
• Out with one movie theatre in downtown, in with another.