Chile raises its tsunami warning to highest level for most of Pacific coast

Emergency management officials say coastlines of New Zealand are experiencing strong currents and wave surges as tsunami activity reaches shores.

It’s early morning Thursday in New Zealand. An alert broadcast to every cell phone says the threat is likely to remain in place until at least midday. Evacuations haven’t been ordered. But people throughout the South Pacific island nation are warned to stay out of the water and away from beaches, shorelines, harbors, rivers and estuaries.

New Zealand is about 6,000 miles from the quake’s epicenter. Officials warn that the first tsunami waves might not be the largest to arrive and people should treat the threat as real until the alert is canceled.

Experts say it’s challenging to know exactly when all of the tsunami alerts and advisories will be dropped.

“It’s kind of hard to predict because this is such an impactful event and has created so many of these waves passing by. It’s hard to say exactly when they’re going to be done,” said Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator for the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska.

Snider said tsunami advisories are still in effect for Hawaii and parts of California.

The National Tsunami Warning Center’s bulletin says Oregon recorded its largest tsunami wave of 1.4 feet (43 cm) in Port Orford. The largest in Washington state was 1.3 feet (40 cm) in La Push, on the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula.

A spokesperson for Alaska’s state emergency management agency, Jeremy Zidek, says in a text that no damage has been reported.

The community of Adak recorded the largest tsunami wave in Alaska at 2.7 feet, or less than a meter.

“I think what really surprised us, given the magnitude of that earthquake on Kamchatka, is that we didn’t feel a thing,” Adak City Manager Breck Craig said. “The bad thing is, that it might be our turn next.”

The representative denied reports that the road was closed to the evacuating public on Tuesday evening.

“As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was opened. Any reports otherwise are false,” the statement said.

Viral claims from social media users had contended the road was initially kept shut and that Winfrey bowed to public pressure to open it.

Some U.S. regions received NOAA alerts warning of tsunami waves several feet high, which might not seem highly threatening to people unfamiliar with tsunami risks.

“You have to think of tsunamis more like storm surge during hurricanes and not big waves in the open ocean,” said Diego Melgar, director of Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center at the University of Oregon.

“It might only be three feet, but it’s a wall of water that’s three feet and spans hundreds of miles. Three feet of water can easily inundate inland and flood a couple blocks inland from the beach,” he said.

Melgar said the rapidly issued advisories and alerts of the recent tsunami is a technological success that has been made possible because of federal funding to agencies like the United States Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Officials in Colombia have ordered the complete closure and evacuation of beaches and low-tide areas along the country’s Pacific coast.

Maritime traffic is also being restricted. Officials say strong currents and tsunami waves were possible in two coastal states, including one that borders Ecuador.

The DHS secretary says she hasn’t been able to speak with Gov. Gavin Newsom, adding, “Haven’t been able to reach him, but we will be doing that throughout the day as well.”

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, in Chile for meetings with officials, told reporters in the capital of Santiago that the threat of a major tsunami hitting the United States “has passed completely.”

“We’re in really good shape right now,” Secretary Noem said, according to a White House pool report. “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.”

The Klyuchevskaya Sopka stands at 4,750 meters or 15,584 feet in the east of Russia’s Kamchatka region. 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 the eruption for some time, with the volcano’s crater filling with lava for several weeks and the mountain spitting out plumes of ash. 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, 29 of them still active, according to NASA Earth Observatory.

The Klyuchevskaya Sopka last erupted in 2023.

“Remember that the first wave is usually not the strongest,” Chilean President Gabriel Boric warned on social media. “Let’s act calmly and follow official instructions.”

Chile ranks among the countries that are most vulnerable to earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis, and Chileans have painful memories of an 8.8-magnitude quake in 2010 that killed 525 people, many of them in the tsunami that followed.

Chile early Wednesday upgraded its tsunami warning to red, the highest level of alert, for most of its lengthy 6,400-kilometer (4,000-mile) Pacific coastline, from Arica and Parinacota near its northern border, to Magallanes in the far south. The Education Ministry also canceled classes along much of the coast.

Officials in Crescent City issued the warning after the 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia’s coast provoked tsunami waves.

Crescent City has observed dozens of tsunamis since the 1930s, including one that killed 11 people and destroyed hundreds of buildings in the city in 1964.

That event is considered the worst tsunami disaster recorded in the United States. The city’s downtown area was mostly rebuilt and today a walking tour highlights high-water marks posted on surviving buildings.

That alert was in the country’s north.

Tsunami advisories remain in place for Japan’s Pacific coast following the 8.8 magnitude quake that struck off Russia’s Far East.

Russian authorities on the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands have canceled their tsunami warnings but say the risk of aftershocks and waves remains.

The regional branch of Russia’s Emergency Ministry on Kamchatka warned that scientists expect aftershocks at magnitudes of up to 7.5. It said that more tsunamis are possible in the Avacha Bay where the regional capital of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is located.

Regional authorities on the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kiril Islands say that a tsunami warning has been canceled in both places. But possible aftershocks and tsunami waves are still possible.

The Kremlin said that 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.

Tsunami activity continued to build in northern California as high tide approached Wednesday morning with maximum confirmed heights along the coast of 3.6 feet (1.1 meters) in Crescent City, 3.0 feet (.9 meters) in Arena Cove and 1.2 feet (.4 meters) in Humboldt Bay, according to the National Weather Service office in Eureka. The measurements in Crescent City and Arena Cove were high enough to create minor coastal flooding and inundation, the weather service said on social media, adding that tsunami activity will persist and people should avoid beaches and harbors.

Crescent City officials warned on social media that higher surges could arrive around high tide and could affect lower lying areas. They asked people to stay away from beaches and waterways.

China’s Tsunami Warning Center has lifted a tsunami warning for Shanghai and the coast of nearby Zhejiang province.

The center had earlier warned that tsunami waves could hit the region on Wednesday evening.

Hawaii and parts of Japan downgraded tsunami warnings, with Hawaii lifting evacuation orders across the state while leaving a tsunami advisory in place.

Officials in Hawaii said residents who had evacuated could return to their homes.

Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan, the Adjutant General of the State of Hawaii Department of Defense, said an advisory means there is the potential for strong currents and dangerous waves, as well as flooding on beaches or in harbors.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency downgraded its tsunami alert to an advisory in the Pacific coast south of Fukushima, with the alert still in place farther north.

The 8.8 magnitude quake that struck Russia’s Far East early Wednesday was one of the largest ever recorded.

The last quake of that size was a magnitude 9.1 earthquake that struck off the coast of northeastern Japan in 2011, triggering a towering tsunami that smashed into the Fukushima nuclear plant. More than 18,000 people were killed in the quake and tsunami, some of whom have never been recovered.

▶ Read more about some of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded

The Russian authorities didn’t report any significant damage on Kamchatka. The main city, Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky, is located on the coast of Avacha Bay that protected it from waves.

Russia’s Oceanology Institute said that tsunami waves might have been as high as 10-15 meters (33-49 feet) in some sections of the Kamchatka coast. It said the waves that hit Severo-Kurilsk on the Kurils topped 6 meters (19 feet).

Both Kachatka and particularly the Kurils are sparsely populated.

The Russian authorities declared a state of emergency on the Kuril islands after the tsunami.

They earlier reported that several tsunami waves flooded the fishing port of Severokurilsk, the main city on the islands, and cut power supplies to the area. The Russian authorities said that tsunami waves topping 3 meters (9.8 feet) hit Severokurilsk.

Japan asserts territorial rights to the four Pacific islands it calls the Northern Territories. They were taken by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II, and the dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty.

Wednesday’s 8.8-magnitude quake was among the four strongest earthquakes this century, and among the eight strongest since 1900, according to the USGS.

The earthquake occurred along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the ring of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.

The 2011 Japan quake and the 2004 earthquake off Indonesia were 9.1 magnitude, and a 2010 earthquake in Chile also was recorded at 8.8 magnitude.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told evacuees in the tsunami-affected areas that they might not be able to return home by the end of the day on Wednesday.

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.

Local authorities on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula said several people were injured during the massive quake, but didn’t give an exact number.

Oleg Melnikov, head of the regional health department, said a few people hurt themselves while rushing to leave buildings and a hospital patient received an injury while jumping out of a window. Melnikov said that all injured people were in satisfactory condition.

A video released by 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.

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka’s regional capital, the quake damaged a local kindergarten, which was not in operation due to ongoing repair work.

The Russian authorities said that tsunami waves topping 3 meters (10 feet) hit Severokurilsk, the main city on the Pacific archipelago that Russia calls the Kuril Islands.

Severokurilsk Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said the city’s was flooded by four tsunami waves, which washed fishing boats into the sea, but no major damage was recorded in the city. Power supplies were shut off and the authorities were checking the power network after the flooding.

Japan also asserts territorial rights to the islands it calls the Northern Territories, which were taken by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II. The dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said officials observed water receding by 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters) at Haleiwa Harbor on Oahu, the state’s most populous island, an indication tsunami waves will arrive. The waves pulling out left boats to lay on dry rock and sand. “That gave us pause,” Green said.

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.

Authorities in a number of small island nations in the South Pacific Ocean urged people to stay away from coastlines, familiarize themselves with evacuation routes and await further guidance from officials, but did not order evacuations.

Some tiny and low-lying Pacific island chains are among the world’s most imperiled by tsunamis and rising seas.

Cautions to stay away from beaches until any wave surges passed late Wednesday were issued by officials in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands.

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.

It added that one person was slightly injured on the northern island of Hokkaido when a woman in her 60s fell while rushing to evacuate. She was taken to a hospital.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said data from Midway Atoll, which is part of the way between Japan and Hawaii, measured tsunami waves from peak to trough of 6 feet (1.8 meters).

He said 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 three foot (90 centimeter) wave riding on top of surf, he said.

He told a new conference that a wave that size could move cars and throw fences around.

“It can dislodge trees, that’s why you can’t just be out there. The impact is at great speed,” Green said. “Any any structure that gets loose and strikes the individual could take them out. And people can drown quite easily with the force of that kind of wave.”

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 small Northern California community of Crescent City turned on its tsunami sirens to warn residents about possible waves.

“You are hearing a Tsunami Siren. We are under a Tsunami Warning. Please stay away from beaches and waterways. A predicted wave may hit at 11:55 pm. We are waiting on additional information about any level of evacuation,” read a post from the City Hall Facebook account.

The city in rural Northern California has roughly 6,000 residents.

A tsunami in 1964 caused by an earthquake in Alaska caused a wave 21 feet (6.4 meters) high to hit the city, killing 11 people and destroying its downtown.

A tsunami of less than 30 centimeters(under 1 foot) was forecast to hit parts of Vancouver Island in western Canada late Tuesday.

The British Columbia provincial emergency preparedness agency said “multiple waves over time” were expected on the British Colombia coast.

The agency said local governments should consider evacuating marinas, beaches and other areas near the ocean.

There were long lines at gas stations near downtown Honolulu, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the shoreline.

A Texaco gas station in the Nuuanu-Punchbowl neighborhood closed early so that workers could go home. The workers set out cones at pumps and turned away motorists.

Jimmy Markowski, on a family vacation from Hot Springs, Arkansas, ended up at the closed Texaco station after fleeing their Waikiki beach resort in a caravan of three cars carrying 15 people.

“All we’re trying to do is just figure out what we’re going to do for the next three or four hours,” he said. “We’ve got water, we got some snacks ... we’re going to stay elevated. This is our first tsunami warning ever. So this is all new to us.”

Honolulu resident Kale Aʻi stopped at the station after spending more than an hour on what would normally be a 12-minute drive from his home near the coast. He was trying to get to his grandfather’s house further inland.

“I’ve always tried to be a little bit more cautious because it’s better to be safe than sorry,” he said.

A tsunami of 60 centimeters (2 feet) arrived at Hamanaka town on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido and Kuji port in Iwate on the main island, up from the earlier tsunami of 40 cm (1.3 ft), according to the JMA. A tsunami of 20 cm (7.9 inches) was detected in the Tokyo Bay, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Shiji Kiyomoto, a JMA earthquake and tsunami response official, said second or third tsunami waves of tsunami had arrived. Kiyomoto did not say when tsunami alerts would be lifted, and said high waves may last for at least a day, urging residents to stay at safe places.

Tsunamis are waves triggered by earthquakes, underwater volcanic eruptions and submarine landslides. After an underwater earthquake, the seafloor rises and drops, which lifts water up and down. The energy from this pushes sea water that transfers to waves.

Many people think of tsunamis as one wave. But they are typically multiple waves that rush ashore like a fast-rising tide.

Some tsunamis are small and don’t cause damage. Others can cause massive destruction. In 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia, causing waves that leveled remote villages, ports and tourist resorts along the Indian Ocean across Southeast and South Asia.

China’s Ministry of Natural Resources’ Tsunami Warning Center has issued an alert for parts of the country’s east coast along Shanghai and Zhejiang provinces.

The warning forecasts that waves could reach between 0.3 to 1 meter (1 to 3 feet).

Shanghai and Zhejiang are already under alert as Typhoon CoMay is expected to land in the Zhejiang province Wednesday.

Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska, said Tuesday evening he had not heard of any specific reports of damage from the tsunami generated by the 8.8-magnitued earthquake.

Forecasted maximum tsunami heights ranged from less than 1 foot to about 5 feet (less than 30 centimeters to 1.5 meters) across parts of Alaska, Oregon, Washington and California, with higher levels projected in isolated areas.

The center said some places could still be feeling impacts from the tsunami for hours or perhaps more than a day.

“A tsunami is not just one wave,” Snider 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 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.”

Honolulu won’t operate bus trips scheduled to start after 6 p.m. local time. Drivers still on routes after that and who are in inundation zones will head to higher ground.

“We want everyone to stay safe,” said Honolulu Fire Department Chief Sheldon Hao. ”Evacuate early so you don’t put yourself in a tough situation.”

“This will NOT be a single wave. Do NOT try to go to the coast to take photos,” the National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area office posted on X.

The agency warned people could put themselves and any rescue teams that may be out at risk.

The Bay Area is under a tsunami advisory. Communities further north are under a warning.

The province’s emergency preparedness agency said waves of less than 30 centimeters (less than 1 foot) were expected to reach Tofino around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday local time. A tsunami advisory spans much of British Columbia’s coast and the agency said “multiple waves over time” were expected. The waves are expected to first reach remote Langara Island around 10:05 p.m.

The agency said local governments should consider evacuating marinas, beaches and other areas near the ocean.