In the wake of a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, President Donald Trump urgently warned residents along the Pacific Coast to prepare for a possible tsunami.
Taking to Truth Social, Trump urged people in Hawaii, Alaska, and surrounding regions to “STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE” as tsunami sirens blared across Hawaii’s shorelines following one of the most powerful quakes in recent history.
“Due to a massive earthquake in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is now in effect for those living in Hawaii,” Trump posted. “A Tsunami Watch is also in place for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Japan is in the path as well. Please visit tsunami.gov for the latest updates.”
The warning came moments after the powerful quake triggered tsunami alerts spanning multiple continents, raising the stakes for millions along the Pacific Rim.
Powerful tsunami waves were forecast to hit Alaska, Washington State, Oregon, and California early Wednesday morning, with Hawaii expected to face the surge by 7:15 p.m. local time.
The U.S. Geological Survey upgraded the earthquake’s magnitude from an initial 8.0 to a staggering 8.8. Striking off Russia’s eastern coast shortly after 8:25 a.m. local time, the quake’s shallow depth of 13 miles unleashed tremendous energy beneath the ocean’s surface. Its epicenter lay just 74 miles from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Experts warn this could be the strongest earthquake the world has felt since the devastating 2011 Fukushima disaster, which triggered a nuclear meltdown in Japan.
Hawaiian residents were alerted via cellphone warnings, urged to evacuate immediately to higher ground. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center projected waves between three to ten feet crashing along Hawaii’s coastlines late Tuesday night.
Authorities issued an urgent plea: anyone near beaches and harbors must act fast to safeguard lives and property.
While much of the U.S. West Coast remained on alert, closely monitoring sea levels and preparing emergency responses, the Aleutian Islands in Alaska were placed under a full tsunami warning.
As the day progressed, the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, expanded its advisories, cautioning residents that dangerous currents and sudden surges could arrive with little or no warning.
Experts compared Tuesday’s earthquake to a devastating event in 1952, when a colossal 9.0-magnitude quake struck Kamchatka, unleashing 30-foot tsunami waves that battered Hawaii and caused widespread destruction.
Like this week’s tremor, the 1952 disaster originated along the volatile Pacific “Ring of Fire” — a fiery, restless zone of seismic activity encircling the Pacific Ocean.
Seismologists have warned that pressure along this fault line has been steadily building, especially after a series of powerful shocks, including a 7.4-magnitude quake earlier this month, rattled the same region.