Japan has suffered one of the largest earthquakes on record — an 8.9 on the Richter scale.

The devastation from the resulting tsunami to the outskirts of the northern city of Sendai defies description:

There are presently tsunami warnings for islands across the Pacific, including Hawaii, as well as coastal areas all along the Pacific rim — from Peru to California to Russia to Australia.

Check out this map from NOAA on the projected impact of the tidal wave: