8:43AM
- Honolulu International Airport (HNL) is now operational, though lingering delays and cancellations may continue. Travellers are being urged to check with their airline for the most current status before heading to the airport.
- Waves continue to ripple across the Pacific Coast and have reached the US with no casualties reported.
7:30AM
A tsunami alert has been issued for the U.S. West Coast, Japan, Hawaii following a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia on Tuesday, July 29.
The Coast Guard Captain of the Port Honolulu has issued an order for evacuation of commercial vessels from all commercial harbours in the Hawaiian Islands.
Japan has ordered nearly 2 million people to evacuate, warning that tsunami waves could continue for more than a day. The highest wave recorded so far has been 1.3 metres, but authorities say they could reach as high as 3 metres.
Across B.C., residents have been urged to avoid shorelines and beaches after a tsunami advisory was issued for multiple parts of the coast.
Several flights have already been diverted away from Hawaii following tsunami warnings, according to FlightRadar24. That includes some that had already departed from Los Angeles, Vancouver, San Francisco, and San Diego.
Cruise passengers await instructions as captains prioritize safety. Strategies to avoid experiencing tsunamis include sailing away from the epicentre and keeping the ships in deeper water.
The powerful 8.8‑magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, approximately 126 km southeast of Petropavlovsk‑Kamchatsky, at a shallow depth of around 19 km.
The earthquake was recorded at 7:24 p.m. E.T., about 78 miles east-southeast of of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said in its updated assessment, per USA Today. The agency said the earthquake was shallow, at a depth of about 11 miles.
