Tsunami warnings were sounded in Japan and the US after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit Russia on Wednesday. The six-strongest quake to ever be recorded signals a possibility of 10-foot waves along the coast of Northern Hawaiian Islands. Officials have urged commercial vessels to leave Hawaiian ports and barred incoming ships. Flights to Honolulu have been disrupted, diverted, or cancelled, as per FlightRadar24.
Southwest Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have cancelled their flights from Hilo, Lihue, Maui Kahului, and Kona to Hawaii. Further, Delta, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines flying from Los Angeles, bound for Honolulu, have been cancelled too.
“We are monitoring a tsunami warning impacting the Hawaiian Islands. Guests with travel to, from or within the Hawaiian Islands should check the status of their flight before heading to the airport,” Hawaiian Airlines stated as Tsunami warnings rise.
Russia 8.8 earthquake: Aftermath
A massive tectonic disturbance hit Eastern Russia earlier today, near the Kamchatka Peninsula on Tuesday, local time. As per the US Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred about 85 miles off the Kamchatka Peninsula coast and nearly 12 miles deep. The area is a remote part of Russia with a scant human population. As a result, alerts were issued for Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, Samalga Pass, Hawaii, Guam, and Japan.
The Meteorological Departments of the countries have said that the tsunamis are set to strike repeatedly and rush to take precautionary measures. Apart from Hawaii, Japan; Taiwan, The Philippines, China, Hawaii, Guam, Tonga, California, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Mexico, Peru, and Ecuador are also under a tsunami warning.
The Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass said, “While the National Weather Service currently projects a wave surge from the earthquake to be less than one foot some time in the early morning hours, the City of Los Angeles is making essential preparations to respond should forecasts change conditions in Los Angeles, especially in the Port of Los Angeles and coastal communities.”