A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula during the night of July 29-30, 2025, prompting widespread evacuations and tsunami alerts across the Pacific region. The early-morning quake unleashed an energy that rocked the region and was felt as far as some of its closest neighbors, including Japan and Hawaii.
Nissan Motor is on the defensive. The company has said it would be suspending production at several of its U.S. based plants because of the crisis. Severe traffic congestion was an immediate reality as locals and summer tourist traffic all tried to evacuate vulnerable coastal communities. In Fujisawa city, Kanagawa prefecture, police officers intervened to ask a man to vacate an otherwise deserted beach. At the same time, as you left the beachside part of Inage Seaside Park, locals were queuing up to pay for parking.
Meanwhile, in Hawaii, Governor Josh Green announced the cancellation of all flights in and out of Maui as a precautionary measure. Ahead of the storm, officials ordered emergency evacuations on all islands. That created a huge traffic jam as boaters tried to evacuate from Ala Wai Harbor in Waikiki, Oahu.
“The arrival of tsunami waves can happen over a period of hours,” said a spokesperson from the Hawaii Red Cross.
The incident has set off a global outcry. Authorities in Japan, Russia, and the United States are already collaborating and coordinating their efforts to get ahead of potential threats to public safety. And stay tuned for more as this story continues to unfold. Always adhere to evacuation orders from local officials.