UPDATE: Bay Area leaders express 'sympathies and condolences' to Japan

Bay Area and state leaders reacted to the news coming from across the Pacific Ocean of the growing devastation in Japan following a Thursday night 8.9-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami that killed hundreds and leveled entire communities.

San Francisco's Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, whose district includes Japantown, expressed his "deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the people who have lost their lives and for those injured" in a statement issued Thursday.

San Francisco's Japantown is only one of three left in the United States and the oldest in the nation.

Mirkarimi wished the Japanese a "speedy recovery from this tragedy," one that rocked several prefectures.

"Japan has shown tremendous resilience to natural disasters and I'm sure this time will be no different.

The earthquake was the strongest recorded in the country's history, and the fifth-largest quake recorded worldwide.

Gov. Jerry Brown issued a statement Thursday morning saying his thoughts were with "the people of Japan as they endure this tragedy."

Brown directed the state's Emergency Management Agency to make state resources available to the Japanese government, and he said the state is standing by to provide assistance.

Brown also urged Californians living in affected areas to follow
all instructions from state and federal response agencies related to the
emergency.

Earlier Thursday, Brown issued a state of emergency in four counties across the state, including San Mateo and and Santa Cruz.

Hundreds of people gathered near the coasts in San Francisco and Santa Cruz to watch waves larger than average surge against the shore despite warnings for residents to steer clear of beaches and low-lying areas.

not far from the Oregon border. He went missing while snapping photographs of the swollen waves with two friends. The Coast Guard searched for the man for more than seven hours, but suspended that search Thursday evening.