President Donald Trump urged Americans living in Hawaii, Alaska, and along the Pacific Coast to ‘STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE’ in advance of a possible tsunami hitting the shores.
Trump made the post on Truth social as tsunami sirens wailed along shorelines in Hawaii following one of the most powerful earthquakes in modern history.
‘Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.
‘A Tsunami Watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Japan is also in the way. Please visit tsunami.gov for the latest information. STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!’
The urgent message came shortly after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Russia’s remote Kamchatka Peninsula, triggering tsunami alerts across multiple continents.
Waves were scheduled to reach Hawaii by 7:15pm local time and the early hours of Wednesday morning in Alaska, Washington State, Oregon and California.
The earthquake – initially measured at 8.0 but later upgraded to 8.8 by the U.S. Geological Survey – struck just after 8:25 am local time off the eastern coast of Russia.
It was centered 74 miles from the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and registered at a depth of 13 miles, shallow enough to generate enormous oceanic energy.
President Donald Trump issued a dramatic warning Tuesday night aimed at the citizens of Hawaii, Washington State, Oregon and California
President Donald Trump issued a dramatic warning Tuesday night, urging Americans living in Hawaii, Alaska, and along the Pacific Coast to stay safe
Waves began reaching coastal regions Tuesday evening as evacuation orders spread across Hawaii, Alaska, and beyond
Experts say it could be the strongest quake worldwide since the 2011 Fukushima disaster that triggered a nuclear meltdown in Japan.
In Hawaii residents were told to move to higher ground as residents cellphones went off with warnings.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center confirmed waves of 3 to 10 feet could strike Hawaii’s shores on Tuesday night.
‘Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property,’ the warning center said, urging people near beaches and harbors to evacuate immediately.
Alaska‘s Aleutian Islands were placed under a full tsunami warning, while the rest of the West Coast remained under watch as authorities monitored sea level data and prepared emergency plans.
The National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, expanded its alerts throughout the afternoon, warning that surges and strong currents could arrive with little to no warning.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center confirmed waves of 3 to 10 feet could strike Hawaii’s shores on Tuesday night
Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency estimated large waves to start hitting the coastline by 7:15pm
The quake’s intensity drew comparisons to a devastating event in 1952, when a magnitude 9.0 quake in Kamchatka sent 30-foot waves crashing into Hawaii, causing widespread damage.
That historic tremor, like Tuesday’s, occurred along the volatile Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ – a seismic hotbed that encircles the ocean basin.
Earlier this month, a string of powerful tremors, including one measuring 7.4 had already rattled the same region, leading seismologists to warn that pressure was building along the fault line.
