Tsunami Hits Russia, Japan, Hawaii After Earthquake

Tsunami Hits Russia, Japan, Hawaii After Earthquake

What we covered here
• Improving conditions: The tsunami advisory for Hawaii has been lifted after a massive earthquake off Russia’s far eastern coast put the region on high alert. Tsunami warnings for the US coastline and Japan were downgraded to advisories earlier.

• Waves persist: A National Weather Service official urged people in the affected areas to stay cautious over the next 24 hours, as waves remain “pretty stubbornly persistent.” The tsunami’s first waves hit Japan, where nearly 2 million people were under evacuation advisories, and Russia. Overnight waves then reached US shores — including parts of Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.

• Historic quake: The massive 8.8 magnitude quake is tied for the sixth strongest ever recorded. There were no casualties in Russia, the Kremlin said.Chile’s disaster response agency SENAPRED has canceled tsunami alerts in several parts of the country, including the Antarctic territory, Easter Island, San Felix Island and the regions of Aysén and Magallanes.Colombia and Ecuador have canceled tsunami alerts for their Pacific coastal areas following the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Russia’s far east.Colombia’s disaster risk management agency said no more waves will reach the coasts of Nariño, Cauca, Valle del Cauca and Chocó, but urged residents to continue to follow authorities’ instructions.

Ecuador’s Oceanographic and Antarctic Institute said the waves generated by the earthquake have passed and no longer pose a major threat to the country. Still, it warned that some areas could continue to experience small sea-level fluctuations.

No damage was reported on Easter Island, the director of Chile’s national disaster response agency said Wednesday, as the country remains on high alert for possible tsunamis after a large earthquake hit Russia’s remote east coast.“We have no reports of impact, neither to people nor to the coastal edge, and we are already monitoring it, but so far, we have no reports of damage to infrastructure or people, because all the people evacuated correctly,” Alicia Cebrián, who leads Senapred, said.Álvaro Elizalde, Chile’s minister of the interior, said that decisions on shelters are being made by regional officials.“Regarding the shelters, these are decisions being made in the different regions according to needs and the regional councils, which are the ones that implement these measures. Obviously, we are gathering the information and can provide updates from there once we have completed the information gathering,” he said.Chile’s national disaster response agency has said that people must leave “the beach area” of the country’s sparsely populated Antarctic Territory.“Due to a #TSUNAMI precaution state, the beach area of the Antarctic Territory, #Magallanes Region, must be abandoned,” SENAPRED posted on X.The warning “does not imply a massive evacuation,” the agency said, but it does mean that people should move away from the coastline, as well as avoid maritime activities.A similar order was issued for Guaitecas and Cisnes in Chile’s Aysén Region, the agency said in an earlier post. In recent hours, evacuations have begun along various sections of the country’s coastline, including the regions of Maule, Ñuble, Biobío, La Araucanía, Los Ríos, and Los Lagos.

SENAPRED previously put the country’s entire coast, including its Antarctic Territory, under a “red alert,” according to the agency’s website.

Tsunami advisory canceled for Hawaii

The tsunami advisory has ended for all of the Hawaiian Islands as of 8:58 a.m. HST (2:58 p.m. ET), according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.“Tsunami wave heights across the state of Hawaii are now below advisory levels and are continuing to diminish,” the PTWC said. “Small sea level changes and strong or unusual currents may persist for several additional hours in some coastal areas.”

The largest tsunami heights from the 8.8 earthquake near Russia were experienced in the Hawaiian Islands with heights reaching 5.7 feet.

New Zealand authorities issue a new advisory

New Zealand’s emergency authorities issued a new national advisory early Thursday morning local time, urging residents in coastal areas to stay away from the water amid the possibility of “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore.”The advisory from the National Emergency Management Agency added that “the threat is likely to remain in force until at least midday today.”The advisory follows a similar alert from authorities last night.“Tsunami activity has already reached parts of New Zealand,” the advisory reads. “The first currents and surges are unlikely to be the largest and are expected to continue over many hours. The threat must beregarded as real until this Advisory is cancelled.”Nonetheless, the risk of widespread flooding inland is low, the advisory continued.

Authorities in Ecuador said the country’s tsunami warning “remains in effect, with the possibility of waves up to 1 meter high” on the Ecuadorean mainland.

“Currently, there are slight disturbances in sea level, which could continue for the next few hours,” said INOCAR, the Ecuadorean Navy’s Oceanographic Institute, in USA

Higher-than-usual waves measured in the Galapagos Islands “have not caused any material damage,” the statement continued. Nonetheless, INOCAR urged residents in coastal “risk zones” to “evacuate to safe areas following established routes.”“Remember that a tsunami can consist of multiple waves,” INOCAR added. “The danger may last for several hours after the first wave.”Paintings and cabinets falling off walls. The ground moving “in waves.” People rushing to gas stations to stock up on fuel.These are the chaotic scenes in Russia following a massive earthquake which struck off the country’s far eastern coast on Wednesday, according to testimony shared with Russian state media.“When it happened, I was at home. The tremors lasted for four minutes. At first it seemed like they were about to stop, but they grew stronger,” Petr Shpilenok told RIA Novosti. “Wherever you go, there’s talk of nothing but an earthquake. People are shocked. There’s a rush at gas stations. People are filling up with extra fuel, just in case.”Shpilenok said that people living in high-rise buildings feel very vulnerable and want to “temporarily leave.”Another local, Anton – who works as a guide in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula – told state media that he was drinking coffee in the hotel bar when the tremors started.

“You could literally see the waves, like special effects. And although I am an active snowboarder, it was almost impossible to keep my balance,” he said.

Tsunami waves begin hitting Galapagos Islands, data shows

Brandon Miller and Abel AlvaradoTsunami waves have begun to hit Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, according to data from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC).The islands of Baltra and Santacruz have thus far experienced wave heights of 1.04 meters (3.4 feet) and 0.4 meters (1.3 feet) respectively, PTWC data shows.Ecuador’s Oceanographic Institute of the Naval Forces (INOCAR) also confirmed the first round of tsunami waves had started hitting the Galapagos Islands, with wave height reaching 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) in some areas.

Earlier on Wednesday, the island’s visitor sites were temporarily closed following the massive earthquake in Russia’s far east, according to the Galapagos National Park.

Five prisons in Chile will be evacuated due to tsunami threat
Chile is evacuating five prisons as the country remains on high alert for possible tsunamis after a large earthquake hit Russia’s remote east coast.SENAPRED, Chile’s national disaster response agency, said in a statement on their website that all five are being evacuated due to their location at low elevations.The inmates will be transferred to other prisons as part of Chile’s natural emergency protocol, according to Interior Minister Álvaro Elizalde, who spoke with CNN Chile.“They are being transferred to other prison facilities, geographically close, with all security protocols in place,” Elizade said. “There are five (prisons), but we won’t go into further details because these are protocols that also include other very important security components.”
 

More than 100 significant aftershocks recorded near Russia since the 8.8 magnitude quake, data shows
Around 125 aftershocks of magnitude 4.4 or greater have occurred near Russia in the more than 16 hours since massive 8.8 earthquake struck off the coast, according to data from the US Geological Survey.Of those, three have been magnitude 6.0 or greater, with the strongest being a 6.9 that occurred about 45 minutes after the mainshock.Strong aftershocks continue to rock the region, with a 6.4 magnitude aftershock striking around 200 miles southwest of yesterday’s main quake’s epicenter just before 11 a.m. ET Wednesday.Aftershocks are generally strongest and most numerous in the hours to days after the main earthquake, decreasing in number and intensity as time goes on.Here’s what to expect after a major earthquake, on average:

One aftershock about one magnitude less than the main shock (in this case in the 7.0-7.9 range, since the main shock was in the 8.0-8.9 range) and about 10 aftershocks roughly two magnitudes less (6.0-6.9 range).
This pattern continues down the moment-magnitude scale, with aftershocks increasing in number ten-fold every step down in magnitude. This would suggest the region should expect around 100 aftershocks in the 5.0-5.9 range and 1,000 with a magnitude of 4.0-4.9, though it will likely take weeks or even months for the aftershocks to reach these numbers.
There were also foreshocks to this quake — a 7.4- and 6.6-magnitude earthquake that occurred nine days before. Foreshocks of that magnitude are rare, but not unheard of.Chilean authorities said evacuations are underway along parts of the country’s coast due to the threat of a tsunami after the large earthquake off Russia’s far eastern coast overnight.In social media posts on Wednesday, Chile’s national disaster response agency SENAPRED said evacuations had begun along the coasts of twelve Chilean regions.Videos from social media geolocated by CNN show shrill sirens echoing among the port city of Iquique’s waterfront high-rises. After each round of sirens, an automated voice says “emergency” in Spanish.On Easter Island, residents were urged to head to safety on Wednesday morning.“Act calmly and follow the instructions of the authorities and response teams,” SENAPRED said. “During the evacuation, do not forget to consider your pet and its needs.”SENAPRED has put the country’s entire coast, including its sparsely populated Antarctic Territory, under a “red alert” according to the agency’s website.

Heavy surge rips off a dock in Crescent City Harbor District

A surge of water several feet high caused a deck to break off in the Crescent City Harbor District, Harbormaster Mike Rademaker said.

“We didn’t have any injuries, fortunately, but we did sustain some damage in the Inner Boat Basin,” Rademaker said Wednesday.

“At approximately 2:40 a.m., we noticed there was a surge of water several feet in height that caused the decking of H dock to lift along its pilings. So, as the water levels continued to rise, the structure was unable to adjust, and the decking became lodged in the pilings and was eventually submerged.”

The dock was completely separated, Rademaker said.

Crescent City, in the northwest corner of California, has a long history of tsunami damage due to its geography and crescent-shaped beach. In 1964, 

Waves "pretty stubbornly persistent," residents should remain cautious, meteorologist says

National Weather Service lead meteorologist Matthew Kidwell advised caution for the next 24 hours, noting that while waves are subsiding, Crescent City residents are “not out of woods.”

“The waves are slowly diminishing, but they’re pretty stubbornly persistent in Crescent City. So, most likely in the next, at some point this morning the tsunami warning will be downgraded to an advisory that still doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods,” Kidwell said. “There’s still going to be a lot of currents, strong currents throughout the day. I would expect through a lot of the day, you’ll need to be especially cautious of the ocean.”

People should stay away from beaches “all day today” and said to be “extra cautious,” he said.Kidwell added residents should remain cautious into the evening hours. “Even once the advisory drops there could be some minor currents continuing, but overall we’re on the downward trend on the wave size,” he said.

No tsunami warnings are in effect in the US, but some alerts remain
The last tsunami warning — the highest level of alert — in effect for the United States coastline has been downgraded to a tsunami advisory. The portion of Northern California that was under the warning is now under a tsunami advisory.Tsunami advisories are still in effect for other parts of California as well as portions of Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii as the threat of smaller tsunami waves persists.

The Northern California beach community that experienced the highest tsunami waves on the West Coast has not seen damage to buildings so far, according to city officials.“It was a long night for all of us,” said Eric Wier, the city manager of Crescent City. “We were fortunate this time. There was significant tsunami surges. We’re still dealing with those now, but it did stay within the banks of Elk Creek.”The area saw peak waves of around 8 feet, in line with their highest tides of the year, but not enough to cause flooding inside the central area of the city, Wier said.“The city downtown is at a high enough elevation that it is open,” said Wier.Officials

in Crescent City, California, are providing the latest updates on the tsunami warning that’s impacting the northern portion of the state.Member of the California Assembly Chris Rogers said that wave activity should be expected for the next 30 hours.“We still continue to coordinate with the Office of Emergency Services, they are on stand by. Obviously, as we said last night, this is not a one issue, a one wave incident, that we do expect to see is continued activity for the next 30 hours. We are on standby and ready to bring in any resources that we need to be able to assist … Crescent City,” he said.The only portion of US coastline still under a tsunami warning — the highest-level alert — Wednesday morning is in Northern California. The warning covers about 40 miles of coastline from just south of Klamath, California, to the Oregon border, including Crescent City.Ring camera video from a business in Haleiwa, Hawaii, shows a time-lapse footage of water surging from the tsunami.Blue Planet Adventure Company is located along the Anahulu River in Haleiwa, on the northern shore of Oahu.

The video starts around 7:20 p.m. local time and about 20 minutes later water can be seen rushing out of the area before a surge.Visitor sites in Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands have been temporarily closed following the massive earthquake in Russia’s far east, according to the Galapagos National Park.The Ecuadorian government said on Wednesday that “there is a high probability of a tsunami being generated” along the country’s coast.Waves are expected to reach up to 1.5 meters (4.92 feet) high, the Ecuadorian Oceanographic Institute of the Naval Forces (INOCAR) said in a post on X.

Beaches, protected areas that involve maritime access, public areas and remote sites near the locations that tsunami waves might hit have also been temporarily closed, the Ecuadorian Navy said in a statement published by INOCAR.

Classes will be held online along some parts of the Ecuadorian coast due to the tsunami risk, the country’s ministry of education said.Eurasia’s highest volcano has erupted after the earthquake in the Kamchatka region of Russia’s far east, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.At 4,750 meters (15,580 feet), Klyuchevskaya Sopka is one of the world’s highest active volcanos.Tourists who had traveled to the area of the volcano have not canceled their tours and instead want to stay to watch the eruption, RIA reported, citing the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI).

“A volcanic eruption, hot lava flowing down the western slope, a powerful glow over the crater and explosions are observed at night. Despite this, no cancellations of tours or complaints have been recordedamong tourists visiting the foothills of volcanoes. On the contrary, many travelers are expressing a desire to personally observe this natural phenomenon,” RUTI said, according to RIA.In September 2022, eight people died on a climbing expedition on the volcano, according to local authorities.

Conditions on the volcano are often treacherous and unpredictable, with strong winds, bitterly cold temperatures and snow at high altitudes.This post has been updated with additional information.

Video captured boats at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, California, moving with the waves from the tsunami.Boats can be seen floating up and down with the water during the overnight hours.

“A tsunami is not just one wave,” the National Weather Service in the Bay Area said “It’s a packet of waves that can last for several hours. This rapid surging of water can create dangerous currents.”

Posted on 2025/07/31 02:04 PM