Carolinas await rain as firefighters gain upper hand on fires
In hard-hit South Carolina, a 1,600-acre blaze in the Carolina Forest community just outside Myrtle Beach city limits was at least 30% contained, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said in a statement.
Imagery from the Myrtle Beach region Monday morning showed a shroud of smoke enveloping parts of the low-lying terrain and creating a wall of low visibility. Horry County Fire Rescue, the fire agency with local jurisdiction, said residents should beware of low visibility caused by smoke through Tuesday morning.
State and local firefighters were aided by two Blackhawk helicopters and one Chinook from the South Carolina National Guard, the guard said. The aircraft have dropped an estimated 60,000 gallons of water on the Carolina Forest fire, it said.
Residents who evacuated were allowed to return Sunday evening, Horry County Fire Rescue, said in a statement. They had to contend with smoke so thick and dangerous that motorists were advised by the agency to stay off roads in the fire zone.
South Carolina Gov. Henry D. McMaster, who declared a fire-related state of emergency on Sunday, counted the state's battle with wildfire as a victory.
"The report that I've received so far, there have been no buildings lost and no lives lost," he said. "It was a great performance."
The state was also the site of four other active wildfires, two of which started Monday in Williamsburg County, about 50 miles west of Myrtle Beach, according to an email from Doug Wood, spokesperson for the forestry commission.
A state summary of fires shows 108 blazes have been reported and 4,357 acres burned in the last seven days. Wood previously said the vast majority of dry weather blazes broke out Saturday, when gusts stronger than 25 mph were reported in the Myrtle Beach area and temperatures reached into the mid-70s, according to National Weather Service data.
On Sunday, volunteers gathered at Carolina Forest Community Church, where some firefighters were coordinating their efforts and taking breaks, to grill up hamburgers and hotdogs for the first responders, according to NBC affiliate WMBF of Myrtle Beach.
Thomas Garavito and Jillian Patton from Murrells Inlet, a community about 20 miles down the coast, dropped off ready-to-eat fare from Dunkin'.
'I saw this morning that they were doing a good job of keeping the fires away from their homes and, again, I just want to show our gratitude for that," Garavito said.
In North Carolina, fires in all four of the state's national forests remained active Monday, with burned areas estimated to total nearly 500 acres, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
No containment estimate was available, but the service said in a statement Monday that crews were excavating containment lines and using "mechanized equipment to manage heavy fuel loads partly due to Hurricane Helene," which wrought destruction in the Southeast last year as it moved inland to Tennessee and North Carolina, creating catastrophic flooding and killing more than 200 people in its path.
Helene's tropical precipitation and destructive winds may have also indirectly aided North Carolina's fifth active fire, burning near the city of Tryon.
'Parts of the wildfire are burning in vegetative debris that resulted from blow down during Hurricane Helene,' Philip Jackson of the North Carolina Forestry Service said by text.
The 593-acre blaze was 63% contained, he said near the end of the workday. Evacuations in the area were voluntary.
"N.C. Forest Service personnel are working to strengthen and widen containment lines while mopping up in steep mountainous terrain," Jackson said.
No injuries or structure loss has been reported, and the fire's cause was under investigation.
While such an eruption of fires is rare, Wood, the South Carolina Forestry Commission spokesperson, told NBC affiliate WCBD of Charleston over the weekend that the region is in the midst of peak fire season weather. "It's not unheard of," he said.
In Georgia, 10 weekend fires remained active on Monday, with 2,535 acres burned, seven structures and two vehicles damaged and no containment, said Wendy Burnett, spokesperson for the Georgia Forestry Commission.
In Tennessee, the state's Department of Agriculture fire summary showed six active fires remaining from a spate of weekend blazes. Those incidents accounted for less than 10 acres of burned brush, according the summary, but 762 acres have burned over a 7-day stretch, the department's data show.
Winds in the region from Georgia to North Carolina have died down, but federal forecasters say that because relative humidity remains below 25%, the risk of fires will remain high through Tuesday night.
"Elevated fire weather conditions continue into Tuesday as breezy winds and warmer temperatures return," the National Weather Service forecast office for Columbia, South Carolina, said.
A cold front will bring rain to the Carolinas late Tuesday into Wednesday, federal forecasters said. But it will also be preceded by an increase in winds that could fan any remaining flames, the Columbia office said in its forecast discussion published Monday.
Because the cold, wet system will move through the region rapidly, the forecast office said, "only brief relief from fire weather concerns are anticipated."
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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CBS News
30-07-2025
- CBS News
Tsunami risk appears to pass for U.S. after massive Russian earthquake; South American countries issue new warnings
One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia's Far East early Wednesday, sending tsunami waves into Hawaii, the U.S. West Coast and Japan. Several people were injured, none gravely, and no major damage has been reported so far. The 8.8 magnitude temblor struck off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, an isolated strip along the Pacific Ocean, overnight. Residents of the peninsula fled inland as 16-foot waves caused flooding. Immediately after the earthquake, Hawaii issued a tsunami warning and evacuation orders, but by Wednesday morning, the warning was downgraded to an advisory and evacuation orders were lifted on the Big Island and Oahu. Japan's Meteorological Agency also lowered its alerts to advisories. States on the U.S. West Coast were placed under a tsunami advisory that remained in effect Wednesday morning. But U.S. 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. Experts had warned earlier that the effects of the earthquake may continue through Wednesday. "A tsunami is not just one wave," said Dan Snider, the tsunami warning coordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska. "It's a series of powerful waves over a long period of time. Tsunamis cross the ocean at hundreds of miles an hour — as fast as a jet airplane — in deep water. But when they get close to the shore, they slow down and start to pile up. And that's where that inundation problem becomes a little bit more possible there." "In this case, because of the Earth basically sending out these huge ripples of water across the ocean, they're going to be moving back and forth for quite a while," which is why some communities may feel effects longer, he said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which lifted the Hawaii warning, had forecast that the estimated arrival time of the first tsunami waves there would be 7:17 p.m. Tuesday local time (1:17 a.m. Wednesday ET). Officials urged people to move inland and shelters were opened in many parts of Hawaii. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said that Black Hawk helicopters had been activated and high-water vehicles were on standby in case authorities needed to conduct rescue operations. So far no damage has been recorded, but it will take two to three hours of observation before authorities will be able to determine whether the event has passed, Green said. Green said data from Midway Atoll, a small island between Japan and Hawaii, measured waves that were about 6 feet from peak to trough. He warned that waves hitting Hawaii could be bigger or smaller. Cars jammed streets and highways in Honolulu, even in areas away from the shore, as people tried to evacuate. Jimmy Markowski, who was visiting Honolulu's Waikiki Beach, said that the roads on the island were packed. "We decided to go to elevated ground," Markowski told "CBS Mornings." "We passed a few other gas stations, you couldn't even get in 'em." CBS Honolulu affiliate KGMB-TV reported that the first waves coming ashore were relatively small, though they came at high tide. Flooding was reported in numerous shoreline areas, including parking lots and boat harbors. The PTSC said the Hilo, Hawaii, gauge recorded a tsunami height of 4.9 feet relative to normal sea levels and the Kahului, Maui, gauge recorded a tsunami height of 4 feet. At around 10 p.m. local time, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center director Chip McCreery said wave heights appeared to have peaked. The Oregon Department of Emergency Management said on Facebook at around 3 a.m. local time that small tsunami waves were expected along the coast and urged people to stay away from beaches, harbors and marinas and to remain in a safe location away from the coast until the advisory is lifted. "This is not a major tsunami, but dangerous currents and strong waves may pose a risk to those near the water," the department said. A tsunami warning was posted for a portion of the California coast near the border with Oregon, but was later lowered to an advisory. California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted a statement on X saying the state's Office of Emergency Services was coordinating with local officials in Northern California, from Cape Mendocino to the Oregon border. The advisory extended along the whole California coast. Dr. Lucy Jones told CBS News Los Angeles that experts with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were predicting waves of about a foot for most of Southern California. The National Weather Service said on X that tsunami waves arrived in Monterey around 12:48 a.m. PT. Other cities along the California coast reported small to moderate-sized tsunami waves. A video shared by the National Weather Service Bay Area showed boats bobbing up and down in a harbor as they were rocked by small tsunami waves. The National Weather Service in Eureka, California, said around 4 a.m. local time that Crescent City had seen tsunami waves of about 3.5 feet, with activity building as the region approached a minor high tide. High tide could lead to more flooding. Crescent City has seen dozens of tsunamis since the 1930s, including a 1964 event that killed 11 people and destroyed hundreds of buildings. The National Weather Service Bay Area warned that even if the waves are small, they can cause "seriously dangerous" currents. The first waves also may not be the highest, the agency said, warning people to avoid coastal areas until told it's safe. On Alaska's Aleutian Islands, officials recorded waves up to 1.4 feet above tide levels. The quake was centered about 74 miles east-southeast of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed and experts predict aftershocks of up to 7.5 for at least a month, according to the Russian News agency TASS. The temblor appeared to be the strongest anywhere in the world since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off northeastern Japan in March 2011 that caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world. Earlier this month, five powerful quakes — the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 — struck in the sea near Kamchatka. The largest was at a depth of 12.4 miles and was 89 miles east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The Kremlin said regional authorities on Kamchatka were well prepared for the quake. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that the warnings were issued timely and people were quickly evacuated from dangerous areas. He added that the buildings proved resilient to shocks. A video released by a Russian media outlet showed a team of doctors at a cancer clinic on Kamchatka holding a patient and clutching medical equipment as the quake rocked an operating room, before continuing with surgery after the shaking stopped. Officials said the doctors will receive decorations. Tsunami heights of about 9 to 13 feet were recorded in Kamchatka. Severokurilsk Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said the port in the city was flooded by tsunami waves, washing fishing boats into the sea. He said no major damage was recorded. Authorities on the Kamchatka peninsula lifted the tsunami warning for the area, some 11 hours after the quake hit. Russian authorities said several people were injured, without giving a figure. The risk of aftershocks and waves remains, officials said. On Wednesday, lava began to flow from Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the largest active volcano in the northern hemisphere. The 15,584-foot volcano, located in the east of Kamchatka, last erupted in 2023. Observers heard explosions and saw streams of lava on the volcano's western slopes, the Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' geophysical service said. Scientists have anticipated an eruption, with the volcano's crater filling with lava for several weeks and the mountain spitting out plumes of ash. "The Klyuchevskoy is erupting right now," the Russian Geophysical Survey said on Telegram, posting photos of an orange blaze on top of the volcano and adding that "red-hot lava is observed flowing down the western slope. There is a powerful glow above the volcano and explosions." Sometimes described as the "land of fire and ice," Kamchatka is one of the most active volcanic regions in the world. It has about 300 volcanoes, of which 29 are active, according to NASA Earth Observatory. The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, Japanese and U.S. seismologists said. The U.S. Geological Survey later updated its strength to 8.8 magnitude and a depth of 13 miles. People went to evacuation centers in affected areas of Japan, with memories fresh of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused reactor meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. The tsunami alert disrupted transportation, with ferries, trains and airports in the affected area suspending or delaying some operations. Waves of about 2 feet were recorded on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, and at least one person was injured. Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said nearly 2 million residents are now under evacuation advisories in more than 220 municipalities along the Pacific coast as of midday Wednesday. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said waves could remain high for at least one day, and he urged evacuees to take precautions and stay well hydrated in the summer heat. He told evacuees they might not be able to return home by the end of the day on Wednesday. No abnormalities in operations at Japan's nuclear plants were reported on Wednesday. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, heavily damaged by the 2011 tsunami, said about 4,000 workers are taking shelter on higher ground at the plant complex while monitoring remotely to ensure safety. China's Ministry of Natural Resources' Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert for parts of the country's east coast along Shanghai and Zhejiang provinces. The warning forecasted that waves could reach between one to three feet. The provinces are already under an alert as Typhoon CoMay is expected to land in the Zhejiang province on Wednesday. Some tiny and low-lying Pacific island chains are among the world's most imperiled by tsunamis and rising seas due to climate change. People were urged to stay away from coastlines until any wave surges passed late Wednesday in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands. Philippine authorities advised people to stay away from the beach and coastal areas. "It may not be the largest of waves, but these can continue for hours and expose people swimming in the waters to danger," Teresito Bacolcol of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology told The Associated Press. Elsewhere, a tsunami of under a foot was forecast to hit parts of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Mexico's navy warned that tsunami waves will start reaching the northern coast in Ensenada, near California, at around 02:22 a.m. Wednesday local time, and waves could progress along the Pacific coast to Chiapas state, around 07:15 a.m. local time. In Chile, tsunami warnings were upgraded to their highest level on Wednesday morning. The alert covers most of the nation's 4,000-mile Pacific coastline. The country's Education Ministry also canceled classes along much of the coast. New Zealand authorities warned of "strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges" along all coastlines of the South Pacific island nation. The emergency management agency said people should move out of the water, off beaches and away from harbors, marinas, rivers and estuaries. There are four levels of tsunami alerts: warning, advisory, watch and information statement, according to the National Weather Service. A tsunami warning is the most severe. It means residents should take action due to a coming tsunami that may cause widespread flooding. A tsunami advisory means there's the potential for "strong currents or waves dangerous to those in or very near the water," according to the NWS. A tsunami watch advises those to be prepared because a distant earthquake has occurred and a tsunami is possible. The lowest level of alert is a tsunami information statement from the NWS, which advises people to "relax" since an earthquake has occurred, but there is no threat or it was very far away.
The Hill
30-07-2025
- The Hill
Hawaii downgrades tsunami warning
Hawaii lifted an evacuation order Wednesday morning after being struck by waves from a tsunami following an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia. The earthquake sent shockwaves through Japan, Hawaii and the West Coast of the U.S. An advisory order remains in place for the islands, warning local residents to take heed of harsher winds and rip currents in the ocean. 'A tsunami is not just one wave. It's a series of powerful waves over a long period of time. Tsunamis cross the ocean at hundreds of miles an hour — as fast as a jet airplane — in deep water,' Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska, told The Associated Press. 'But when they get close to the shore, they slow down and start to pile up. And that's where that inundation problem becomes a little bit more possible there,' he added. The Department of Transportation canceled all flights to and from Maui on Tuesday as Hilo International Airport was also closed and baggage operations at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport were temporarily suspended. Although the Hawaii evacuation order has been lifted, authorities are encouraging those returning to remain vigilant. 'As you return home, still stay off the beach and stay out of the water,' said James Barros, administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, per the AP. Black Hawk helicopter crews were activated by Gov. Josh Green (D-Hawaii) to ensure vehicles were prepared to rescue any individuals caught in the water. However, Hawaii was not the only U.S. state impacted by the Russian earthquake. Northern California saw waves up to 5.7 feet while water reached a foot above tide level in Alaska, the news wire reported. Seattle also felt rougher currents due to the aftershock of the earthquake. 'Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii. A Tsunami Watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Japan is also in the way,' President Trump wrote late Tuesday in a post on Truth Social.
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Yahoo
8.8-magnitude quake sends small tsunami into coasts of Russia, Japan and Alaska
One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded has struck Russia's far east, an 8.8-magnitude tremor that caused tsunami waves in Japan and Alaska and prompted warnings for Hawaii, North and Central America and the Pacific islands south toward New Zealand. Ports on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia near the quake's epicentre were flooded as residents fled inland, and white waves washed up to the shore in northern Japan. Cars jammed streets and major roads in Honolulu, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the shoreline. People were advised to move to higher ground around much of the Pacific and warned that the potential danger may last for more than a day. Most places where tsunami waves have already washed ashore have reported no significant damage so far. A tsunami height of 10-13ft was recorded in Kamchatka, 2ft on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, and up to 1.4 feet above tide levels were observed in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The impact of the tsunami could last for hours or perhaps more than a day, according to Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Centre in Alaska. 'A tsunami is not just one wave,' he said. 'It's a series of powerful waves over a long period of time. Tsunamis cross the ocean at hundreds of miles an hour – as fast as a jet aeroplane – in deep water. 'But when they get close to the shore, they slow down and start to pile up. And that's where that inundation problem becomes a little bit more possible there. 'In this case, because of the Earth basically sending out these huge ripples of water across the ocean, they're going to be moving back and forth for quite a while,' which is why some communities may feel effects longer, he added. Hawaii governor Josh Green said data from Midway Atoll, which is between Japan and Hawaii, measured waves from peak to trough of 6ft. He said waves hitting Hawaii could be bigger or smaller and it is too early to tell how large they would be. A tsunami of that size would be akin to a 3ft wave riding on top of surf, he said. 'This is a longitudinal wave with great force driving through the shoreline and into land,' he said at a news conference. Mr Green said Black Hawk helicopters have been activated and high-water vehicles were ready to go in case authorities need to rescue people. 'But please do not put yourself in harm's way,' he said. The quake at 8.25am Japan time (12.25am BST) had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, Japan and US seismologists said. The US Geological Survey later updated its strength to 8.8 magnitude and the USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 13 miles. The quake was centred about 74 miles east-southeast from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000, on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed. The first tsunami wave hit the coastal area of Severo-Kurilsk, the main settlement on Russia's Kuril Islands in the Pacific, according to the local governor Valery Limarenko. He said residents were safe and staying on high ground until the threat of a repeat wave was gone. About 2,700 people were evacuated to safe locations on the Kuril Islands. Buildings were damaged and cars swayed in the streets in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Russian news agencies quoting the regional Health Ministry saying several people sought medical help in Kamchatka after the earthquake, but no serious injuries were reported. The earthquake appears to be the strongest anywhere in the world since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off north-eastern Japan in March 2011 that caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world. The tsunami alert disrupted transportation in Japan, with ferries, trains and airports in the affected area suspending or delaying some operations. A tsunami of 2ft was recorded at Hamanaka town in Hokkaido and Kuji port in Iwate, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Several areas reported smaller waves including 8in in Tokyo Bay five hours after the quake. In Japan's northern coastal town of Matsushima, dozens of residents took refuge at an evacuation centre, where water bottles were distributed and an air conditioner was running. One person told NHK she came to the facility without hesitation based on the lesson from the 2011 tsunami. Japanese nuclear power stations have reported no abnormalities. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant damaged by the 2011 tsunami said about 4,000 workers are taking shelter on higher ground at the plant complex while monitoring remotely to ensure plant safety.
