Several countries on alert when the sea has already entered the land
A three-meter tsunami hit the North and Center of Hokkaido, the northern and closest Japanese island in Russia, where it was registered during the early hours of Wednesday, worth 8.8 on the Richter scale.
Around the same time, the geological authorities of the Russian region of Kamchatka, where the shake was registered, reported a “powerful” tsunami.
Several devastating wave alerts were immediately issued by local authorities from both countries, and about an hour later the Northern Archipelago was hit by what NHK television described as a devastating wave.
Shortly thereafter, and according to the transmission of that same channel, it was difficult to distinguish the coastal line, with several buildings to be swallowed by the advancement of the sea.
As for Russia, one of the first impacts was a small port town with two thousand inhabitants. “The Tsunami flooded parts of the Severo-Kurilsk port city … The population has been taken,” read the Russian Ministry of Emergencies.
The shake was so large that several replicas were followed, some of the magnitude approaching level 7 to the Richter scale. In addition, Kamchatka regional authorities admit that the effects of this great earthquake can continue to feel for next month, expecting a recurring seismic activity that can reach 7.5.
“Given the scale of this event, we expect strong replicas, possibly with magnitude up to 7.5”, can be read in the statement shared by the Russian authorities on Telegram.
Alert world
Another notion of the dimension of impact comes from New Zealand, much south, where the agency that manages disasters has warned the coastal areas to expect “strong and unusual currents and unusual appearances on the coast”. Although there is no need for evacuation, the country’s Civil Defense issued an alert to ask the population to avoid the beaches.
On the other hand, and because the tsunami waves can be formed in both directions, Hawaii is also monitoring the eventual formation of tsunamis, and an alert has been issued for parts of Alaska.
Shortly thereafter, and through social networks, the US state authorities of Hawaii warned the entire population living in coastal areas. “Take precautions! Restorative waves of expected tsunami,” read the publication.
HNL Alert: Tsunami Warning Updated – Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected. Go to for wave arrival time. EVACUATE coastal areas in PRIMARY EVACUATION ZONE. Map at . Evacuate a
— Oahu Emergency Mgmt. (@Oahu_DEM)
The same warning was made for the continental states of Washington, Oregon and California.
Minutes later, and much closer to the initial impact site, the Philippine Seismology Agency warned of the likelihood of a tsunami less than one meter on the way to the country. Indonesia, a country most affected by the seismo recorded in Sumatra in 2004, issued a similar warning shortly after.
According to the US tsunamis warning system, the whole Pacific was under threat of a tsunami. In the early hours they followed the earthquake there were warnings also to countries as distant as Ecuador or Colombia.
Kamchatka is part of the so -called fire ring, an area of intense seismic and volcanic activity that affects both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
