NEED TO KNOW
- A tsunami warning alert has been issued for the U.S. West Coast, Japan, Hawaii, and portions of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands
- Guam was also placed under warning, with O’ahu, Hawaii evacuating coastal areas around Honolulu
- Ecuador and the east coast of Russia could be struck by waves of more than 10 feet
A tsunami alert has been issued for the U.S. West Coast, Japan, Hawaii, and portions of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, following a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia on Tuesday, July 29. Additionally, Guam has been placed under tsunami warning.
Ecuador and the east coast of Russia could be struck by waves of more than 10 feet triggered by the 8.8 magnitude earthquake, the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center said.
The first waves have hit Hokkaido in northern Japan, according to local outlet NHK per The Guardian. The waves measured nearly 30 cm (approximately 11 inches), and swept some structures from their foundations as the waves moved inland.
Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture and Ishinomaki, and Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, have evacuated to the same safe spots on higher ground used by survivors of the 2011 tsunami that struck the country.
New Zealand’s national emergency management agency (NEMA) has warned the nation of the tsunami. NEMA said in a statement: “Strong currents and surges can injure and drown people. There is a danger to swimmers, surfers, people fishing, and anyone in or near the water close to shore. People in or near the sea in the following areas should move out of the water, off beaches and shore areas and away from harbours, marinas, rivers and estuaries.”
Most of the country’s coastline is under threat, NEMA said, though no evacuations are ordered at this time unless directly advised by local civil defense authorities.
The earthquake was recorded at 7:24 p.m. E.T., about 78 miles east-southeast of of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said in its updated assessment, per USA Today. The agency said the earthquake was shallow, at a depth of about 11 miles.
It’s likely among the top six strongest earthquakes ever recorded, per The Washington Post.
At least six earthquakes subsequently occurred near Kamchatka today, the USGS says. Their initial readings had magnitudes of 6.9, 6.3, 5.4, 5.7 and 5.6.
The National Tsunami Warning Center advises that tsunami activity is possible at Shemya, Alaska beginning at 4:46 p.m., A.D.T., then at 5:46 p.m. at Adak and 7:06 p.m. at Saint Paul, about 760 miles west of Anchorage.
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O’ahu Emergency Management has issued an evacuation warning for the coastal areas on the island surrounding Honolulu, Hawaii. “Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected. Go to http://hnlalert.gov for wave arrival time. EVACUATE coastal areas in PRIMARY EVACUATION ZONE,” OEM wrote in a post on X.
The warning is also extended to British Columbia, Canada, also on the west coast.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated.
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