After a powerful earthquake on Wednesday, tsunami waves over three meters high have reached the Pacific coast of Russia. The strongest wave measured five meters. Following Russia and Japan’s Hokkaido Peninsula, the U.S. is now also likely to be hit. “Today’s earthquake was severe and the strongest in decades,” said Vladimir Solodov, governor of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
Russian scientists stated that the magnitude 8.8 earthquake was the most powerful in the region since 1952. At least six aftershocks followed. The epicenter was located in eastern Russia. According to authorities, several people were injured and taken to hospitals. A kindergarten was partially destroyed. The facility had been scheduled to reopen this Friday after renovations.
According to the governor, no one was injured at the site. Civil Defense reported that the port of the Russian city of Severo-Kurilsk and a fishing company had been partially flooded. Residents were evacuated to safety, including 60 tourists. The water surged 200 meters inland. Evacuation orders were also issued in parts of Japan. In the afternoon (local time), a 1.3-meter wave was recorded at a northern port.
This is the world’s most severe earthquake since Fukushima in 2011. Growing Alerts Across the Pacific The U.S. national tsunami warning system predicted waves up to three meters high could reach the state of Hawaii. Governor Josh Green stated that no serious waves had occurred so far. All flights to and from Maui were canceled as a precaution, and all commercial ports on the island were closed.
Distant Pacific states like the Philippines and Indonesia are also preparing for incoming waves. Local warnings were also issued in Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, and Ecuador, including the Galápagos Islands. Waves may also reach the coasts of Chile, Costa Rica, French Polynesia, and the Pacific island of Guam—and in weaker form—Australia, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, and Taiwan. Meanwhile, the Philippines has lifted its warning.
How Tsunamis Form Tsunamis are seaquakes triggered by earthquakes, landslides, or underwater volcanoes. The term comes from Japanese and means “harbor wave.” Tsunamis consist of a series of waves that can travel through deep ocean waters at speeds exceeding 800 kilometers per hour. The worst tsunami disaster in recent history occurred on December 26, 2004, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sumatra. Around 230,000 people died.
