The Latest: Powerful waves travel across Pacific after 8.8-magnitude earthquake

A tsunami sent powerful waves toward coastal areas of Russia s Kuril Islands Japan and Hawaii and Alaska after a powerful -magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia early Wednesday Warnings are also in place for Alaska and other coasts south toward New Zealand The Japan Meteorological Agency mentioned a tsunami as high as centimeters feet had been detected as the waves moved south along the Pacific coast from Hokkaido to Tokyo Bay Functionaries urged caution saying that bigger waves could come later Damage and evacuations were published in the Russian regions nearest the quake s epicenter on the Kamchatka Peninsula and representatives declared a state of urgency in several areas Here s the latest Russia declares state of emergency in areas hit by earthquake The Russian executives declared a state of exigency on the Kuril Islands and in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky the main city on the Kamchatka peninsula They earlier stated that several tsunami waves flooded the fishing port of Severo-Kurilsk the main city on the islands and cut power supplies to the area Russia s Oceanography Institute stated tsunami waves that hit the city topped meters feet Japan asserts territorial rights to the four Pacific islands it calls the Northern Territories They were taken by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II and the dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky local leaders mentioned that municipal workers had checked about apartment buildings and identified no major damage that would require evacuations The inspections are continuing The city is located on the coast of Avacha Bay which protects it from waves The Oceanology Institute commented that tsunami waves might have been as high as - meters - feet in chosen sections of the sparsely populated Kamchatka coast -magnitude quake was among the strongest this century Wednesday s -magnitude quake was among the four strongest earthquakes this century and among the eight strongest since according to the USGS The earthquake occurred along the Pacific Ring of Fire the ring of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where bulk of the world s earthquakes occur The Japan quake and the earthquake off Indonesia were magnitude and a earthquake in Chile also was recorded at magnitude Japanese official warns evacuees they might not be able to return home by day s end Japan s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi explained evacuees in the tsunami-affected areas that they might not be able to return home by the end of the day on Wednesday Hayashi disclosed waves could remain high for at least one day and he urged evacuees to take precautions and stay well hydrated in the summer heat Damage and minor injuries released in Russian Far East Local leadership on Russia s Kamchatka peninsula explained several people were injured during the massive quake but didn t give an exact number Oleg Melnikov head of the regional strength department disclosed a inadequate people hurt themselves while rushing to leave buildings and a hospital person received an injury while jumping out of a window Melnikov mentioned that all injured people were in satisfactory condition A video published by Russian media outlet established a organization of doctors at a cancer clinic on Kamchatka holding a subject and clutching medicinal equipment as the quake rocked an operating room before continuing with surgery after the shaking stopped Authorities disclosed the doctors will receive decorations In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Kamchatka s regional capital the quake damaged a local kindergarten which was not in operation due to ongoing repair work The Russian leadership revealed that tsunami waves topping meters feet hit Severokurilsk the main city on the Pacific archipelago that Russia calls the Kuril Islands Severokurilsk Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov declared the city s was flooded by four tsunami waves which washed fishing boats into the sea but no major damage was recorded in the city Power supplies were shut off and the government were checking the power arrangement after the flooding Japan also asserts territorial rights to the islands it calls the Northern Territories which were taken by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II The dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty Water recedes at Hawaii beaches as tsunami reaches Oahu Hawaii Gov Josh Green declared executives observed water receding by to feet to meters at Haleiwa Harbor on Oahu the state s the bulk populous island an indication tsunami waves will arrive The waves pulling out left boats to lay on dry rock and sand That gave us pause Green mentioned So far no damage has been recorded but it will take two to three hours of observation before bureaucrats will be able to determine whether the event has passed Green stated Pacific island nations urge people to avoid coastlines Personnel in a number of small island nations in the South Pacific Ocean urged people to stay away from coastlines familiarize themselves with evacuation routes and await further guidance from personnel but did not order evacuations Various tiny and low-lying Pacific island chains are among the world s majority imperiled by tsunamis and rising seas Cautions to stay away from beaches until any wave surges passed late Wednesday were issued by officers in Fiji Samoa Tonga Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands Nearly million people under evacuation advisories in Japan Japan s Fire and Accident Management Agency noted nearly million residents are now under evacuation advisories in more than municipalities along the Pacific coast as of midday Wednesday It added that one person was slightly injured on the northern island of Hokkaido when a woman in her s fell while rushing to evacuate She was taken to a hospital Governor says Hawaii is ready for evacuations Hawaii Gov Josh Green noted information from Midway Atoll which is part of the way between Japan and Hawaii measured tsunami waves from peak to trough of feet meters He reported waves hitting Hawaii could be bigger or smaller and it was too early to tell how large they would be A tsunami of that size would be akin to a three foot centimeter wave riding on top of surf he stated Hawaii Gov Josh Green commented information from Midway Atoll which is part of the way between Japan and Hawaii measured tsunami waves from peak to trough of feet meters He announced waves hitting Hawaii could be bigger or smaller and it was too early to tell how large they would be A tsunami of that size would be akin to a three foot centimeter wave riding on top of surf he declared He narrated a new conference that a wave that size could move cars and throw fences around It can dislodge trees that s why you can t just be out there The impact is at great speed Green revealed Any any structure that gets loose and strikes the individual could take them out And people can drown quite easily with the force of that kind of wave Green explained Black Hawk helicopters have been activated and high-water vehicles were ready to go in circumstance officials need to rescue people But please do not put yourself in harm s way he announced Tsunami sirens sound in remote California city The small Northern California locality of Crescent City turned on its tsunami sirens to warn residents about realizable waves You are hearing a Tsunami Siren We are under a Tsunami Warning Please stay away from beaches and waterways A predicted wave may hit at pm We are waiting on additional information about any level of evacuation read a post from the City Hall Facebook account The city in rural Northern California has roughly residents A tsunami in caused by an earthquake in Alaska caused a wave feet meters high to hit the city killing people and destroying its downtown Lines form at Honolulu gas stations There were long lines at gas stations near downtown Honolulu with standstill traffic even in areas away from the shoreline A Texaco gas station in the Nuuanu-Punchbowl neighborhood closed early so that workers could go home The workers set out cones at pumps and turned away motorists Jimmy Markowski on a family vacation from Hot Springs Arkansas ended up at the closed Texaco station after fleeing their Waikiki beach resort in a caravan of three cars carrying people All we re trying to do is just figure out what we re going to do for the next three or four hours he explained We ve got water we got particular snacks we re going to stay elevated This is our first tsunami warning ever So this is all new to us Honolulu resident Kale A i stopped at the station after spending more than an hour on what would normally be a -minute drive from his home near the coast He was trying to get to his grandfather s house further inland I ve inevitably tried to be a little bit more cautious because it s better to be safe than sorry he stated Larger swells hit Japan A tsunami of centimeters feet arrived at Hamanaka town on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido and Kuji port in Iwate on the main island up from the earlier tsunami of cm ft according to the JMA A tsunami of cm inches was detected in the Tokyo Bay according to the Japan Meteorological Agency Shiji Kiyomoto a JMA earthquake and tsunami response official announced second or third tsunami waves of tsunami had arrived Kiyomoto did not say when tsunami alerts would be lifted and explained high waves may last for at least a day urging residents to stay at safe places What is a tsunami Tsunamis are waves triggered by earthquakes underwater volcanic eruptions and submarine landslides After an underwater earthquake the seafloor rises and drops which lifts water up and down The potency from this pushes sea water that transfers to waves Multiple people think of tsunamis as one wave But they are typically multiple waves that rush ashore like a fast-rising tide Certain tsunamis are small and don t cause damage Others can cause massive destruction In a magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia causing waves that leveled remote villages ports and tourist resorts along the Indian Ocean across Southeast and South Asia Tsunami warning issued for parts of China China s Ministry of Natural Guidance Tsunami Warning Center has issued an alert for parts of the country s east coast along Shanghai and Zhejiang provinces The warning forecasts that waves could reach between to meter to feet Shanghai and Zhejiang are already under alert as Typhoon CoMay is expected to land in the Zhejiang province Wednesday A series of powerful waves Dave Snider tsunami warning coordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska mentioned Tuesday evening he had not heard of any specific reports of damage from the tsunami generated by the -magnitued earthquake Forecasted maximum tsunami heights ranged from less than foot to about feet less than centimeters to meters across parts of Alaska Oregon Washington and California with higher levels projected in isolated areas The center revealed a few places could still be feeling impacts from the tsunami for hours or perhaps more than a day A tsunami is not just one wave Snider reported It s a series of powerful waves over a long period of time Tsunamis cross the ocean at hundreds of miles an hour as fast as a jet airplane in deep water But when they get close to the shore they slow down and start to pile up And that s where that inundation trouble becomes a little bit more viable there Hawaii agents set up evacuation shelters at schools and group centers Honolulu won t operate bus trips scheduled to start after p m local time Drivers still on routes after that and who are in inundation zones will head to higher ground We want everyone to stay safe noted Honolulu Fire Department Chief Sheldon Hao Evacuate early so you don t put yourself in a tough situation US National Weather Institution warns people against going to the coast to look for tsunami waves This will NOT be a single wave Do NOT try to go to the coast to take photos the National Weather Arrangement San Francisco Bay Area office posted on X The agency warned people could put themselves and any rescue teams that may be out at danger The Bay Area is under a tsunami advisory Communities further north are under a warning Tsunami forecast to hit parts of Vancouver Island British Columbia The province s exigency preparedness agency mentioned waves of less than centimeters less than foot were expected to reach Tofino around p m Tuesday local time A tsunami advisory spans much of British Columbia s coast and the agency commented multiple waves over time were expected The waves are expected to first reach remote Langara Island around p m The agency revealed local governments should consider evacuating marinas beaches and other areas near the ocean Mexico s Navy warns Pacific coast to anticipate tsunami waves Mexico s Navy says waves between to centimeters to feet are expected on the Mexican Pacific coast after the tsunami set off by the -magnitude earthquake in Russia s Far East In a statement the Navy s tsunami warning center commented the waves will begin to reach the northern coast in Ensenada near California at around a m Wednesday central time in Mexico and it will continue south along the Pacific coast until it reaches the Chiapas states around a m local time The Pacific coast remains under a tsunami advisory and the Navy recommended people stay away from the beaches until it suspends an alert people under evacuation advisories in Japan Japan s Fire an Mishap Management Agency mentioned so far no injuries or damage have been released The agency in response to the tsunami alert issued an evacuation advisory to more than residents in municipalities along Japan s Pacific coast from Hokkaido to Okinawa The number of people who indeed took shelter was not available A tsunami of centimeters feet was detected at the Ishinomaki the highest detected so far in the aftermath of Wednesday s earthquake according to the Japan Meteorological Agency The strongest quake in over a decade The earthquake at a m Japan time had a preliminary magnitude of Japan and U S seismologists reported The U S Geological Survey later updated its measurement to magnitude It appears to be the strongest anywhere in the world since the March quake off northeast Japan that was magnitude and caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant Only a limited stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world Connections restored in Russian peninsula hit hard by the earthquake Internet and phone connections have been restored in Kamchatka following the massive earthquake according to the Russian news agency Tass Videos posted on social media proved the fa ade of a collapsed kindergarten in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky No casualties were stated A port in Severo-Kurilsk on the Kuril Islands in the Pacific was flooded after a tsunami wave hit the area Russian news agencies quoting the regional Healthcare Ministry revealed several people sought diagnostic help in Kamchatka after the earthquake but no serious injuries were published Tsunami alert in Japan complicates transportation Ferries connecting Hokkaido and Aomori on the northern tip of Japan s Honshu island were suspended as well as those connecting Tokyo and nearby islands Chosen local train operations have been suspended or delayed as well according to operators Sendai airport says its runway has been temporarily closed Tsunami waves detected at multiple points on Japan s Pacific coast Japan Meteorological Agency says a tsunami as high as centimeters feet has been detected at locations as the waves have moved south along the Pacific coast from Hokkaido down to just northeast of Tokyo Officers urge residents to use caution as bigger waves could come later New Zealand warns of strong and uncommon currents and unpredictable surges along its coastlines New Zealand officers issued warnings of strong and rare currents and unpredictable surges along all coastlines of the South Pacific island nation Waves were not expected to arrive until late Wednesday night local time personnel reported The alert sent to New Zealanders phones by the cabinet exigency management agency mentioned people should move out of the water off beaches and shore areas and away from harbors marinas rivers and estuaries but administrators stopped short of issuing evacuation warnings Japanese nuclear power plants stop work Japanese nuclear power plants along the Pacific coasts have suspended their work schedule in response to the tsunami alert but so far no abnormalities have been informed Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings which operates the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant commented about workers are taking shelter at higher grounds on the plant complex while monitoring remotely to ensure plant safety Its release of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea is also temporarily suspended as a cautionary step Russian scientists call the earthquake a unique event The -magnitude earthquake was the strongest to hit that area in Kamchatka since according to the local branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences In a report posted on their Telegram channel they called the earthquake a unique event They stated the epicenter was near a fresh earthquake that struck the peninsula on July While the situation was under control they announced there are risks of aftershocks which could last for up to a month and warned against visiting certain coastal areas Oregon functionaries say small tsunami expected to reach the state s coastline The Oregon Department of Exigency Management declared on Facebook that small tsunami waves were expected to reach parts of the state s coastline starting around p m local time with wave heights between to feet to centimeters It urged people to stay away from beaches harbors and marinas and to remain in a safe location away from the coast until the advisory is lifted This is not a major tsunami but dangerous currents and strong waves may pose a peril to those near the water the department revealed Oregon is under a tsunami advisory along with much of the U S West Coast spanning British Columbia Washington state and California This item has been updated to correct that wave heights are expected to reach between and feet not and feet The Philippines warns residents of accomplishable tsunami waves Philippine bureaucrats warned provinces and towns along the archipelago s eastern coast facing the Pacific of feasible tsunami waves of less than meter feet that could hit between p m to p m local time and advised people to stay away from the beach and coastal areas It may not be the largest of waves but these can continue for hours and expose people swimming in the waters to danger Teresito Bacolcol of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology notified The Associated Press First waves hit Hokkaido in Japan and Russia s Kuril Islands The Japan Meteorological Agency explained a first tsunami wave of about centimeters about foot reached Nemuro on the eastern coast of Hokkaido The first tsunami wave hit the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk the main settlement on Russia s Kuril Islands in the Pacific according to the local governor Valery Limarenko He explained residents were safe and staying on high ground until the threat of a repeat wave was gone Source