LOS ANGELES — One of the world’s strongest earthquakes struck Russia’s Far East early Wednesday, an 8.8-magnitude temblor that caused a tsunami in the northern Pacific region and prompted warnings for Alaska, Hawaii and other coasts south toward New Zealand. Several locations advised evacuations, but no major injuries have been reported.
For most of California, the National Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami advisory, but late Tuesday night, a tsunami warning had been issued for parts of Northern California along the northern Humboldt Coast.
A tsunami warning, according to NOAA, indicates a tsunami that may cause widespread flooding is expected or occurring. Coastal flooding and power currents are possible and may continue for several hours or days after initial arrival. Evacuations are recommended, and the public is advised to move to high ground or inland away from the water.
The National Weather Service Eureka on X said a tsunami wave is expected to arrive at 11:50 p.m. Tuesday night.
“Humboldt Co. is forecast to have a max. tsunami ~1 foot. Del Norte is forecast to have a max. wave height of 3-5 foot. People are advised to stay away from beaches, marinas, and harbors as many waves can arrive.,” the agency wrote on X.
Mayor Karen Bass, in a post on X, said she was briefed and is in touch with coastal leaders and the Port of LA about overnight preparations.
Bass also encouraged Los Angeles residents to register for emergency alerts at NotifyLA.org.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the tsunami advisory. The state’s Office of Emergency Services is closely coordinating with local officials in coastal communities.
“We encourage everyone to stay alert and follow guidance from local emergency personnel,” the Governor said on X.
According to the National Tsunami Warning Center, a list of potential start times for tsunami activity — if it occurs at all — across the state, including roughly 1:05 a.m. Wednesday for Los Angeles Harbor, 1:10 a.m. for Newport Beach and 1:15 a.m. for Oceanside and La Jolla.
The tsunami advisory follows the issuance of a tsunami watch by the National Tsunami Warning Center.
During an advisory, the public should be aware that a tsunami with potential for strong currents or waves is expected or occurring and can be dangerous to those in or very near the water. Flooding of beach and harbor areas can be expected.
The public should stay out of the water and away from beaches and waterways, and follow instructions from local officials.
Several coastal cities’ police departments issued warnings, cautioning residents to stay away from the beaches.
The Huntington Beach Police Department said the city’s beaches, the harbor, and the pier were being closed out of caution.
“Avoid the coast and stay out of the water. No evacuation orders at this time,” the department said in a post on X.
The Newport Beach Police Department said they are “closely monitoring the situation and at this time, no evacuation orders are in place.”
Russian regions report quake damage
The quake at 8:25 a.m. Japan time had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, Japan and U.S. seismologists said. The U.S. Geological Survey later updated its measurement to 8.8 magnitude and the USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 13 miles.
The quake was centered about 74 miles east-southeast from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000, on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude were recorded.
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 said residents were safe and staying on high ground until the threat of a repeat wave was gone.
The quake caused damage to buildings and cars swayed in the streets in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which also had power outages and mobile phone service failures. Russian news agencies quoting the regional Health Ministry saying several people sought medical help in Kamchatka after the earthquake, but no serious injuries were reported.
Among the world’s strongest recorded quakes
The earthquake appeared to be the strongest anywhere in the world since the March 2011 earthquake off northeast Japan that was 9.0 magnitude and caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world.
The tsunami alert disrupted transportation in Japan. 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, and some local train operations were suspended or delayed, according to operators. Sendai airport temporarily closed its runway.
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said so far no injuries or damages have been reported. The agency, in response to the tsunami alert, issued an evacuation advisory to more than 900,000 residents in 133 municipalities along Japan’s Pacific coast, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. The number of people who actually took shelter was not available.
Japanese nuclear power plants reported no abnormalities. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, said about 4,000 workers are taking shelter on higher ground at the plant complex while monitoring remotely to ensure plant safety.
Philippine authorities warned provinces and towns along the archipelago’s eastern coast facing the Pacific of possible tsunami waves of less than 3 feet 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 told The Associated Press.
New Zealand authorities issued warnings of “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges” along coastlines throughout the country. The government emergency management agency said people should move out of the water, off beaches and shore areas, and away from harbors, marinas, rivers and estuaries.
New Zealand is in the South Pacific and about 6,000 miles from the epicenter.
The quake was the strongest to hit this area in the Kamchatka Peninsula since 1952, according to the local branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
They said that while the situation “was under control” there are risks of aftershocks, which could last for up to a month and warned against visiting certain coastal areas.
Earlier in July, five powerful quakes — the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 — struck in the sea near Kamchatka. The largest quake was at a depth of 20 kilometers and was 89 miles east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
On Nov. 4, 1952, a magnitude 9.0 quake in Kamchatka caused damage but no reported deaths despite setting off 30-foot waves in Hawaii.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
