A record-setting earthquake is sending tsunami waves toward several US states. Here's what we know

CNN

3 days ago

Tsunami waves have hit nations across the Pacific after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's remote east coast Wednesday local time, with millions of people urged to evacuate to higher ground.
The waves hit Russia and Japan first and then the US states of Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.
Tsunami warnings and advisories remained in effect early on Wednesday for Hawaii, California and the rest of the US West Coast, with further waves expected.
The Philippines, Indonesia, China, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Panama, French Polynesia's Marquesas Islands, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Taiwan have also issued tsunami advisories, warnings and watches, although some have since cancelled them.
The quake off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in far east Russia was the world's strongest since 2011, when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit northeast Japan, triggering a devastating tsunami. It is tied for the sixth-strongest ever recorded.
It was too early to say how damaging any tsunami waves may be and initial impacts have been minimal.
But experts across the Pacific warn the scale of waves can vary greatly in different locations and are urging the public to stay away from coastlines. Tsunami waves can also continue to impact coastlines hours after they first hit.
Here's what we know.
The earthquake's epicenter is about 74 miles (119 kilometers) southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky city, on the Kamchatka Peninsula in far east Russia, at a depth of 20.7 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Kamchatka, which is sparsely populated, is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
Two powerful aftershocks of 6.3 and 6.9 magnitudes struck off Russia in the hour after the initial quake. Dozens more aftershocks above 5 magnitude also struck the region in the hours immediately afterwards.
Klyuchevskaya Sopka, Eurasia's highest volcano that is located in Kamchatka, erupted after the earthquake, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
The earthquake triggered tsunami alerts from Russia, in the eastern Pacific, to Ecuador and Chile, thousands of miles away across the Pacific Ocean.
In Japan, more than 1.9 million people were told to evacuate as waves hit the country's northern and eastern coasts.
Tsunami warnings - the most severe type of tsunami alert - were issued for Hawaii and the California coast from Cape Mendocino to the Oregon border.
The warning for the state of Hawaii was later downgraded to an advisory, a lesser alert level, and as of 11 p.m. HST on Tuesday (5 a.m. ET on Wednesday), the only tsunami warning remaining in the US was in northern California.
Evacuations have been lifted across Oahu, the Hawaii island that includes the city of Honolulu.
Still, authorities there cautioned that risks continue. 'Watch for floodwaters … do an assessment and check your structures and your homes,' James Barros, the administrator for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, said at a news conference.
Tsunami advisories are in place for the rest of the US west coast and Alaska's Aleutian Islands, as well as British Columbia, Canada.
The governments of Chile, Peru and Ecuador also issued tsunami alerts. Ecuador's Oceanographic and Antarctic Institute said the Galapagos Islands could see a wave measuring 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) by 9 a.m. local time.
The Integrated Tsunami Alert System of Mexico and Central America has issued a tsunami alert that stretches from Ensenada, on Mexico's northwest coast, to the Central American country of Panama.
Advisories were also in place for several Pacific US territories, including Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa.
As Hawaii braced for impact, the mayor of the capital city of Honolulu, Rick Blangiardi, told people to move to higher ground. Sirens blared across the city, and emergency shelters began opening in the islands of Oahu, Kauai and Maui.
'We need people to stay calm but also to act accordingly. If you can get to higher ground if you're in a low-lying area, please do that,' Rick Blangiardi said.
Hawaii's governor urged people to immediately evacuate coastal zones. 'It will not hit one beach, it will wrap around the islands,' Gov. Josh Green said.
Green urged residents to evacuate coastal zones right away in a news conference.
The waves began reaching Hawaii's coast early evening local time, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A wave over 5 feet was reported in Kahului, on the north-central shore of Maui island, according to the NOAA.
After the first waves hit, Green said, 'So far we have not seen a wave of consequence, which is a great relief to us.' He added that no damage had been reported so far, and there hasn't yet been wave activity traveling past Hawaii's Big Island.
Hotels along the west coast of Big Island were evacuating guests Tuesday evening local time. All flights in and out of Maui were canceled for the night, leaving about 200 people sheltering at the terminal, the governor said.
Japan's northernmost island Hokkaido was one of the first places to report tsunami waves, measuring up to 60 centimeters (2 feet), along with parts of Russia. Tsunami sirens could be heard blaring through parts of the island on Wednesday morning. Video shared by Reuters and the Nippon News Network showed people taking refuge on a roof.
More than 1.9 million people across Japan have been urged to move to safer ground, as waves up to 50 cm (1.6 feet) slap the country's east coast, inching closer to Tokyo. That's far below the initial forecast of up to 3 meters, though that could change, and additional waves could follow.
A tsunami wave measuring 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) was observed at Kuji Port in Iwate prefecture, northeastern Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which added that tsunami waves were growing.
In the Russian district of Severo-Kurilsk, near the epicenter of the earthquake, a state of emergency was issued after tsunami waves lashed the coast, tearing boats from their moorings and carrying away storage containers, according to state media TASS and videos from the scene.
Nearly 300 people were evacuated from the port, regional emergency services told state-run RIA News. A tsunami wave of 3-4 meters high was recorded in the Yelizovo District of Kamchatka, according to Russian authorities.
Meanwhile, a tidal rise of 1 foot was observed by the volcanic island of Amchitka, Alaska, at around 5:14 p.m. Pacific Time.
This story has been updated.
CNN's Helen Regan, Jessie Yeung, Brandon Miller, Angela Fritz, Nina Subkhanberdina, Tori B. Powell, Taylor Romine, Briana Waxman, Matt Rehbein, Karina Tsui, Alex Stambaugh, Kathleen Magramo and Hanna Park contributed reporting.