MOSCOW — A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula has triggered widespread tsunami fears, prompting alerts and evacuation orders across a dozen countries. The massive undersea quake, which struck early Wednesday morning, is one of the strongest to hit the region since 1952.
Following the seismic event, tsunami waves have begun to strike coastal areas in Russia, Japan, and the United States. In the U.S., the threat is particularly high for coastal states, with Hawaii already reporting waves making landfall. Authorities in Hawaii have initiated evacuations in coastal regions as a precautionary measure.
The following countries have either issued tsunami alerts or are closely monitoring the situation:
- Russia
- Japan
- United States (including Hawaii, Alaska, and the West Coast)
- Canada
- Ecuador
- Peru
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- China
- Philippines
- Taiwan
- Indonesia
In Japan, where the memory of the 2011 disaster remains fresh, the Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the eastern coast, urging residents to evacuate to higher ground. Over two million people have been moved to safer locations as a precaution.
The U.S. is also on high alert, with tsunami warnings sounded across nine states, potentially affecting up to 100 million people. Hawaii, Alaska, and California, the most populous U.S. state, are among the most vulnerable to the threat.
Tsunamis are a series of powerful sea waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, typically from an undersea earthquake. They can travel at speeds comparable to a jetliner across the ocean with minimal energy loss. As the waves approach shallow coastal areas, their speed decreases, but their height increases dramatically, often leading to devastating flooding and destruction. The early warnings issued across the Pacific are critical for saving lives by allowing for timely evacuations.
