8.8-magnitude earthquake sends tsunami into coasts of Russia, Japan and Alaska

TOKYO AP One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia s Far East early Wednesday sending tsunami waves into Japan and Hawaii and across the Pacific No substantial damage has been communicated so far but administration warned people away from shorelines and reported the liability could last more than a day Ports on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia near the magnitude quake s epicenter flooded as residents fled inland and frothy white waves washed up to the shore in northern Japan Cars jammed streets and highways in Hawaii s capital with standstill traffic even in areas away from the shoreline People went to evacuation centers in affected areas of Japan with memories fresh of the earthquake and tsunami that caused reactor meltdowns at a nuclear power plant No abnormalities in operations at Japan s nuclear plants were stated Wednesday Russian administration reported several people were injured without giving a figure In Japan at least one person was injured A tsunami height of - meters to feet was recorded in Kamchatka centimeters feet on Japan s northern island of Hokkaido and up to feet under centimeters above tide levels were observed in Alaska s Aleutian Islands Hawaii and Oregon warn residents of feasible damage The impact of the tsunami could last for hours or perhaps more than a day noted Dave Snider tsunami warning coordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska A tsunami is not just one wave he announced 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 complication becomes a little bit more manageable there In this situation 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 chosen communities may feel effects longer he disclosed Hawaii Gov Josh Green revealed content from Midway Atoll which is between Japan and Hawaii measured waves from peak to trough of feet meters He reported waves hitting Hawaii could be bigger or smaller and it was too early to tell how large they would be A tsunami of that size would be akin to a -foot -centimeter wave riding on top of surf he stated This is a longitudinal wave with great force driving through the shoreline and into land he announced at a news conference Green announced Black Hawk helicopters have been activated and high-water vehicles were ready to go in occurrence executives need to rescue people But please do not put yourself in harm s way he declared The Oregon Department of Crisis Management explained on Facebook that small tsunami waves were expected along the coast starting around p m local time with wave heights between to feet to centimeters It 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 liability to those near the water the department revealed Much of the West Coast spanning California Washington state and the Canadian province of British Columbia was also under a tsunami advisory A tsunami of less than centimeters under foot was forecast to hit parts of Vancouver Island British Columbia The province s urgency preparedness agency disclosed waves were expected to reach remote Langara Island around p m Tuesday and Tofino around p m The agency explained multiple waves over time were expected Russian regions assessment limited damage The quake at a m Japan time had a preliminary magnitude of Japanese and U S seismologists commented The U S Geological Survey later updated its strength to magnitude and a depth of kilometers miles The quake was centered about kilometers miles east-southeast from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky which has a population of on the Kamchatka Peninsula Multiple aftershocks as strong as magnitude followed Severokurilsk Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov mentioned the port in the city was flooded by tsunami waves washing fishing boats into the sea He revealed that no major damage was recorded Power supplies have been shut and the officials were checking the power system after the flooding Among the world s strongest recorded quakes The earthquake appeared to be the strongest anywhere in the world since the magnitude earthquake off northeastern Japan in March that caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant Only a meager 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 specific operations A tsunami of centimeters feet was recorded at Hamanaka town in Hokkaido and Kuji port in Iwate according to the Japan Meteorological Agency Several areas published smaller waves including centimeters inches in Tokyo Bay five hours after the quake In Japan s northern coastal town of Matsushima dozens of residents took refuge at an evacuation center where water bottles were distributed and an air conditioner was running One person stated NHK she came to the facility without hesitation based on the lesson from the tsunami Japan s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi warned evacuees that they may not be able to return home by the end of the day as the tsunami waves could remain high Japanese nuclear power plants stated no abnormalities The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant damaged by the tsunami disclosed about workers are taking shelter on higher ground at the plant complex while monitoring remotely to ensure safety Philippine bureaucrats 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 described The Associated Press Mexico s navy warned that tsunami waves will start reaching the northern coast in Ensenada near California at around a m Wednesday local time and waves could progress along the Pacific coast to Chiapas state around a m local time New Zealand administration warned of strong and unique currents and unpredictable surges along all coastlines of the South Pacific island nation The urgency management agency explained people should move out of the water off beaches and away from harbors marinas rivers and estuaries 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 Specific tiny and low-lying Pacific island chains are among the world s majority imperiled by tsunamis and rising seas due to context change Earlier in July five powerful quakes the largest with a magnitude of struck in the sea near Kamchatka The largest quake was at a depth of kilometers and was kilometers miles east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky