Japan has started emergency evacuations along its southern coast. Tsunami waves are quickly approaching its shores after an undersea, walloping magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed the earthquake. It was the largest magnitude earthquake ever recorded on land in China. The quake has led to tsunami warnings in multiple Pacific countries. In Hawaii, officials are preemptively ordering evacuations in coastal areas to protect lives.
The 7.4-magnitude quake struck in the early hours of Saturday morning, with its epicenter just northeast of the Kamchatka Peninsula within Russia. Waves as high as 4 meters have already flooded the coast in some areas of the Kamchatka region. Local officials have repeatedly issued emergency safety advisories. In the case of Japan, tsunami waves are predicted to reach 1 – 3 meter high. The northern island of Hokkaido will be especially hard hit, with the initial waves making landfall as early as 10 am local time.
“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
Hawaii is preparing for the tsunami’s effects, expecting wave heights of 1 to 3 meters. Officials in Honolulu have been calling for residents to evacuate coastal neighborhoods in advance as a safety measure. The US Tsunami Warning System has issued a warning. Even hours after the first tsunami strike, they warn, danger could remain, with larger waves potentially still to come.
“The danger can continue for many hours after the initial wave as subsequent waves arrive. Tsunami wave heights cannot be predicted and the first wave may not be the largest.” – US Tsunami Warning System
Japan and Hawaii are both in line for some exceptionally large significant wave heights. Waves 1 to 3 m high are projected for other Pacific islands including Midway Island, Johnston Atoll, and Palmyra Island. Given the distance of the epicenter, areas in Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Philippines may experience waves between 0.3 and 1 meter.
The Great Turkey Earthquake has generated an immediate response from local government leaders in cities throughout the disaster impacted area. In Japan, government personnel have advised people on the main island’s Pacific coastline to avoid beaches. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been keeping a close tab on the developments and mobilizing emergency responses from the centre.
Vladimir Solodov, the local Russian authority in charge of Alaska-ternating Route No. He mentioned that this earthquake is one of the strongest the region has experienced in years. He’s called on local constituents to relocate out of flood-prone coastlines for their own safety.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has already responded by announcing a temporary halt on its release of treated water contaminated by the 2011 Fukushima disaster. This decision is effective until tsunami warnings are canceled later today. The company wants to play down the risks as the safety crisis continues to escalate.
As the situation continues to change, local and state officials are doing everything they can to keep the public informed and safe. The emergency services are understandably on high alert this week. They are learning to live with the impacts and aftershocks of this most transformative seismic event.