A massive 8.8 earthquake rocked the upper Pacific Ocean Tuesday evening, triggering tsunami alerts for the entire state of Hawaii, parts of Alaska, and the West Coast after the first waves already hit portions of Russia and Japan.
The quake hit an area about 74 miles east of Kamchatsky which is on the south-eastern coast of Russia’s Pacific Ocean peninsula at 1:24 p.m. Hawaiian Time, according to officials.
It struck 11 miles underground resulting in tsunami warnings and threats throughout the region with multiple aftershocks reaching as high as 6.9 magnitude.
Residents in Honolulu are being advised to move to higher ground as waves generated are estimated to reach Hawaii around 7:17 p.m. HST — or 1:17 a.m. ET.
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on the island of O’ahu has opened parts of its access roads to aid in residents’ attempts to get to higher ground, the base announced on X.
Governor Josh Green urged Hawaiins to remain calm and to evacuate coastal zones, but reassured those worried with the reminder that no residents died during the 2011 tsunami, which saw 7-foot waves, during a press conference.
Tsunami expert Dr. Chip McCreery with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gave a preview of what the islands could expect.
“This is not a small threat, this is the kind of threat where the water could flood the land,” McCreery told local Island News Tuesday.
“The models are showing in some places tsunami amplitudes of roughly 10 feet above normal sea level.”
“But for those of you who watch the surf normally a 10-foot surf wave is good for surfers… but a 10-foot tsunami is quite different,” McCreery explained.
“What that means, it’s like all of sea level will rise to 10 feet above normal sea level and stay high like that for maybe five, 10 minutes before it goes back down.”
“It will affect all the coasts within the state,” warning there could be “multiple floodings” of the islands that could last for hours.
Alaska’s Aleutian island chain is also under a tsunami alert. Parts of the coastal mainland are facing the more extreme warning categorization, while other parts of the coastal mainland of the Last Frontier state are under a lesser tsunami watch.
Waves are expected to reach parts of Alaska by 4:46 p.m.local time, according to Fox Weather.
The Pacific Coast including California, Washington, and Oregon is also under tsunami watch with waves expected to make landfall there at 11:40 p.m. in the north, and about an hour later in southern California, according to reports.
The National Weather Service later upgraded Los Angeles to be on the more serious tsunami advisory.
“The Tsunami should arrive near 1AM tonight. If you are located in the coastal area, move off the beach & out of harbors & marina. Do not go to the coast to watch,” National Weather Service Los Angeles warned in a post to X.
“Be alert to instructions from local EM officials.”
Coastal California is also under tsunami watch.
President Trump addressed the developing, potentially catastrophic situation, on social media.
“Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii,” the president wrote on X.
“A Tsunami Watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Japan is also in the way,” Trump wrote, adding. “STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!”
The US isn’t the only country urged to take caution.
Evacuations are already underway in parts of Russia and Japan where waves have already begun to roll ashore.
The first tsunami wave struck the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk on Russia’s Kuril Islands, where local officials said residents were initially safely on high ground, the AP reported.
Waves up to 10 feet were expected off the coasts of Hokkaido and Honshu, according to the Japan Times.
Similar tides were expected in parts of Russia and Ecuador, the Associated Press reported.
The waters are expected to arrive at Fukushima prefecture at 11 a.m. local time, the outlet reported. During the last earthquake of this magnitude, tsunami waters caused a catastrophic meltdown at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
Japanese nuclear power plants reported no abnormalities in procedures, the AP reported citing Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings.
Ferries between Hokkaido and Aomori, as well as Tokyo and nearby islands, have all been suspended, the AP reported.
The waves are expected to arrive at Fukushima prefecture at 11 a.m. local time, the outlet reported.
Several countries in the Pacific have issued tsunami threat warnings including Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, New Zealand, French Polynesia, and over half a dozen small islands potentially in the wave’s path, according to Tsunami.gov.
Many Central and South America countries have also issued threat warnings, including El Salvador, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Colombia and Mexico, according to that site.
The 8.8 magnitude earthquake is the third largest such event in the last 25 years and the largest earth tremor since the catastrophic 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Earlier in July, five earthquakes struck the same area off the coast of Kamchatka — the largest of those tremors reaching a magnitude 7.4, according to the AP.
Officials said they were still evaluating the extent to which the tsunami is a threat and that the situation is developing.
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