Tsunami waves reach Japan, Hawaii, California
TOKYO, July 30: One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off Russia’s sparsely populated Far East early Wednesday, sending tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the US West Coast. Several people were injured, but none gravely, and no major damage has been reported so far.
Authorities warned the risk from the 8.8 magnitude quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground.
The worst appeared to have passed for many areas, including the US, Japan and Russia. But along South America’s Pacific Coast, new warnings were forcing evacuations in Chile and Colombia.
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In the immediate aftermath of the quake off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula, residents fled inland as ports flooded, and several were injured while rushing to leave buildings.
In Japan, people flocked to evacuation centres, hilltop parks and rooftops in towns on the Pacific coast with fresh memories of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused a nuclear disaster.
Cars jammed streets and highways in Honolulu, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the sea.
“We’ve got water, we got some snacks … we’re going to stay elevated,” said Jimmy Markowski, whose family from Hot Springs, Arkansas, fled their Waikiki beach resort before evacuation orders were lifted. “This is our first tsunami warning ever. So this is all new to us.”
While tsunami advisories remain in place along much of the US West Coast, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the worst was over.
“We were fully deployed and ready to respond if necessary but grateful that we didn’t have to deal with the situation that this could have been,” she told reporters in Chile, where she is meeting officials.
Unusually strong currents and unpredictable surges were expected in places as far away as New Zealand, and the National Weather Service warned the San Francisco Bay Area could see “some seriously dangerous currents along beaches and harbours.”
Among the world’s strongest recorded quakes
The earthquake appeared to be the strongest recorded since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off northeastern Japan in March 2011 that caused a massive tsunami and set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said initial reports showed Japan’s nuclear plants were not affected Wednesday.
Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world. Wednesday’s occurred along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a series of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes take place. (PTI)
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