The tsunami from Japan’s enormous earthquake struck the west coast of the United States this morning, damaging boats and killing at least one man who was swept out to sea when he tried to photograph the incoming wave.

There is great concern about the nuclear power plants damaged in the quake and tsunami; an evacuation was ordered from the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan.

In northeastern Japan, the cooling system at Fukushima Daiichi plant failed and pressure began to build inside, prompting the government to shut down the plant and declare a state of emergency at a nuclear facility for the first time ever. Authorities evacuated at least 3,000 residents in a 10-kilometre radius.

Pressure inside one of six boiling water reactors had risen to 1.5 times the normal level, Japan’s nuclear safety agency said. Following the first evacuation order, the government said the plant would release slightly radioactive vapor in the hopes of averting a possible meltdown.