'Prepare For Emergency': Indian Embassy Urges After Russia Earthquake Sparks Tsunami Alert For Japan, Hawaii
Emergency warnings and alerts have been issued for Japan and the United States and other Pacific nations.
Indian consulates in the United States on Wednesday issued advisories, warning Indian nationals to stay away from coastal areas amid a tsunami alert. This followed after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, damaging buildings and triggering a tsunami of up to four metres.
As a result, emergency warnings and alerts have been issued for Japan and the United States and other Pacific nations. In the US, states along the West Coast, including California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii, are on alert.
“Follow Local Alerts: Carefully monitor alerts from US authorities, including local emergency management and the US Tsunami Warning Centers. Move to higher ground if a Tsunami Alert is issued. Avoid Coastal Areas. Prepare for Emergency & Keep devices charged,” the official X handle of Consulate General of India in San Francisco said.
A similar warning was issued by the Consulate General of India in Seattle.
The authorities have also issued emergency numbers: +1-415-483-6629 for San Francisco and +1 (206) 608-0608 for Seattle.
The massive earthquake in Russia has been described as the “strongest in decades” by Russia’s Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov. He issued an advisory to the locals in a video on Telegram app.
According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake was recorded at a depth of 19.3 km, centred 119 km east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The agency had initially labelled the earthquake of 8.0 magnitude but revised it later. Strong aftershocks of magnitude 6.9 were also felt in the region. More such are expected.
"Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii," President Donald Trump said in a social media post.
In view of the anticipated tsunami, the US Tsunami Warnings System has issued an alert about "hazardous tsunami waves" expected within the next three hours. Regions such as Russia and Ecuador may experience waves over three meters in height. Meanwhile, waves between one to three meters are possible in Japan, Hawaii, Chile, and the Solomon Islands, the system said. The remaining US West Coast may get smaller waves.
Hawaii’s Honolulu Emergency Management Department has issued a warning about destructive waves, urging immediate emergency preparedness. Residents have been asked to move to higher grounds or the fourth floors of their buildings.
Kamchatka and Russia's Far East are among the regions that lie above the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is known for intense seismic activity. According to the Russian Academy of Sciences, this marked the region’s strongest earthquake since 1952.
