FOG BLOG WORLD NEWS LOG: MASSIVE 8.1 EARTHQUAKE HITS OFF COAST OF NEW ZEALAND:

New Zealand has downgraded its tsunami warning after a powerful earthquake struck the Kermadec Islands region early Friday, sparking fears of a tsunami.

The 8.1-magnitude quake was the third to strike the area on Friday morning local time, according to the New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency.

Residents in some areas received emergency alerts on their phones urging them to "EVACUATE NOW," as tsunami sirens rang out. The emergency agency issued a temporary evacuation order for people near the coast, warning them, "Do not stay at home" as a "damaging tsunami is possible."

The Kermadec Islands are 500 to 620 miles northeast of New Zealand's North Island. The East Coast of the North Island from the Bay of Islands to Whangarei, from Matata to Tolaga Bay including Whakatane and Opotiki and Great Barrier Island are all included in the Pacific nation's tsunami warning.