A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Russia on Tuesday. Hawaii and Alaska issued tsunami warnings, and other sections of the West Coast were told to be careful.
The U.S. Geological Survey claimed that the earthquake happened around 85 miles off the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula and was almost 12 miles deep. The agency changed the reported strength of the earthquake from 8.0 and 8.7 to 8.0 and 8.7.
The USGS says that there were further aftershocks in the area with magnitudes of 6.3 and 6.9.
Hawaii and Alaska’s Aleutian Islands were warned of a tsunami. While the problem is being looked into, California, Oregon, and Washington are under a tsunami advisory.
The California coast went from a Tsunami Watch to a Tsunami Advisory. If a wave does materialize, it should impact California about 11:50 p.m. and Los Angeles around 1:00 a.m. local time. Huntington Beach, which is further down the coast, is closing its pier and beaches to keep people safe.
The USGS said that Guam and American Samoa, which are both U.S. territories, are also under a tsunami warning.
The first tsunami wave is scheduled to impact Hawaii right around 7:15 p.m. local time. Oahu Emergency Management states that tsunami waves that inflict damage are likely to happen.
Sources told ABC News that the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency had established its Emergency Operations Center. Officials have also turned on their Joint Information Center on purpose and are meeting with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green’s team.
Hawaii’s statewide warning system is going off right now on all of the islands. For the next three hours, they will go off every ten minutes.
Officials caution that people should not be near the coast. People in Honolulu were urged to evacuate the main evacuation zone or go up to the fourth story of a building.
The National Weather Service said that all of the island’s beaches are in risk since tsunami waves can go around islands.
“The danger can last for hours after the first wave, as more waves come in.” The NWS issued out a warning that said, “We don’t know how high the tsunami will be, and the first wave might not be the biggest.”
An advisory was also sent out for Japan’s Pacific Coast, from Hokkaido to Kyushu.
Japan’s weather agency predicted that a tsunami approximately 1 meter (3 feet) high is expected to hit Hokkaido in the north at about 10:00 a.m. local time. Later in the day, waves will hit parts of eastern Honshu and Kyushu toward the south.
People are instructed not to go near the ocean, the coast, or the mouths of rivers.
A tsunami warning means that a tsunami is likely to strike, which could create floods and powerful currents that could be dangerous. A tsunami watch means that an earthquake has happened far away and there is a chance that a tsunami will happen.