Then, on November 15th, a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off of the nearby coast. It struck 144 kilometers east of the metropolis at a depth of 20 kilometers. The quake hit deep in one of the world’s most active seismic zones. It created tsunami shockwaves across the Pacific, issuing tsunami warnings and watches throughout, including areas such as Japan and the United States.
Located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Japan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world. In response to the quake, officials quickly put out a tsunami warning for Alaska’s southern coastline from the Aleutian Islands. A tsunami warning was later downgraded to a watch, which has been issued for Guam and Micronesia. It encompasses all of the U.S. West Coast – that’s California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii.
The new earthquake was even less strongly felt in Hokkaido, about 250 kilometers to the north. The tremors were described as “serious and the strongest in decades of tremors” by Vladimir Solodov, the governor of Kamchatka. Early news from Indonesia indicated a tsunami that was 3 to 4 meters tall. This shocking criminal data drives home just how deadly the disaster has been.
Governments were quick to recommend preemptively evacuating coastal zones. Japan’s foreign minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, warned about the risk of danger from later tsunami waves.
“Those near the coast should evacuate immediately to higher ground or safe buildings in the areas covered by the tsunami warning from Hokkaido to Wakayama Prefecture [hundreds of kilometers to the south]. Please be aware that after the initial wave, second and third waves of tsunamis can be even higher.” – Yoshimasa Hayashi
Writing from Kamchatka, Oleg Melnikov reported that some of the injuries resulted from the seismic event itself. Others were injured trying to get out the door, and one of the patients we treated actually jumped out a window to escape. A woman was injured in a stamped concrete floor inside her region’s shiny new airport terminal.
“Unfortunately, there are some people injured during the seismic event. Some were hurt while running outside, and one patient jumped out of a window. A woman was also injured inside the new airport terminal,” – Oleg Melnikov
Melnikov, who checked in with each patient to make sure they were doing well. Most importantly, he added, no serious injuries have been reported.
“All patients are currently in satisfactory condition, and no serious injuries have been reported so far,” – Oleg Melnikov
Workers at the Fukushima nuclear plant were ordered to evacuate as a precaution given the rapidly unfolding situation. Luckily, officials found no irregularities at the location throughout the demonstration.
As these new developments come to fruition the National Tsunami Warning Center watches closely and standby. They’re still measuring oceanic conditions and predicting future threats that rising water levels bring throughout these impacted areas.