HONOLULU (AP) — Fears of a devastating tsunami faded Wednesday for the U.S. and Japan after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off a sparsely populated Russian peninsula, but new alerts along South America’s Pacific coast forced evacuations and closed beaches.
Warnings in the first hours after the 8.8 magnitude quake sent residents fleeing to rooftops in Japan and forced tourists out of beachfront hotels in Hawaii, snarling island traffic. In Russia, several people were hurt rushing to get out of buildings, including a hospital patient who jumped from a window.
Millions of people were told to move away from the shore or seek high ground because they were potentially in the path of the tsunami waves, which struck seaside areas of Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast but did not appear to cause any major damage.
The dire warnings following the massive quake early Wednesday off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula evoked memories of catastrophic damage caused by tsunamis over the last quarter-century.
In Japan, people flocked to evacuation centers, hilltop parks and rooftops in towns on the Pacific coast with fresh memories of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused a nuclear disaster.
Cars jammed streets and highways in Honolulu, with traffic at a standstill even far from the sea.
“We’ve got water, we got some snacks … we’re going to stay elevated,” said Jimmy Markowski, whose family from Hot Springs, Arkansas, fled their Waikiki beach resort before evacuation orders were lifted. “This is our first tsunami warning ever. So this is all new to us.”
Although tsunami advisories remain in place along much of the U.S. West Coast and authorities warned sightseers to stay away from beaches, 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.
Among the world’s strongest recorded quakes
The earthquake appeared to be the strongest recorded since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off Japan in 2011 caused a massive tsunami and meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said initial reports showed Japan’s nuclear plants were not affected this time.
Wednesday’s quake occurred along the “Ring of Fire,” a series of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes take place. It was centered offshore, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka’s regional capital. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed.
Russia’s Oceanology Institute said tsunami waves of less than 6 meters (20 feet) were recorded near the populated areas of the peninsula and the nearby Kuril Islands.
Meanwhile, lava began to flow Wednesday from the Northern Hemisphere’s largest volcano in a remote area of Kamchatka. Observers also heard explosions, the Russian Academy of Sciences’ geophysical service said.
Evacuations ordered in South America
Chile, a place highly vulnerable to earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis, raised its warning to the highest level early Wednesday for most of its lengthy Pacific coast and said it was evacuating hundreds of people.
“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.”
Colombian officials ordered the complete closure and evacuation of beaches and low-tide areas while maritime traffic was being restricted.
