Tsunami evacuations ordered in South America, but worst risk appears to pass for US after huge quake

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and AUDREY McAVOY
Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Fears of a devastating tsunami faded Wednesday for the U.S. and Japan after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off a sparsely populated Russian peninsula, but new alerts along South America’s Pacific coast forced evacuations and closed beaches.

Warnings in the first hours after the 8.8 magnitude quake sent residents fleeing to rooftops in Japan and forced tourists out of beachfront hotels in Hawaii, snarling island traffic. In Russia, several people were hurt rushing to get out of buildings, including a hospital patient who jumped from a window.

Millions of people were told to move away from the shore or seek high ground because they were potentially in the path of the tsunami waves, which struck seaside areas of Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast but did not appear to cause any major damage.

The dire warnings following the massive quake early Wednesday off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula evoked memories of catastrophic damage caused by tsunamis over the last quarter-century.

In Japan, people flocked to evacuation centers, hilltop parks and rooftops in towns on the Pacific coast with fresh memories of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused a nuclear disaster.

Cars jammed streets and highways in Honolulu, with traffic at a standstill even far from the sea.

“We’ve got water, we got some snacks … we’re going to stay elevated,” said Jimmy Markowski, whose family from Hot Springs, Arkansas, fled their Waikiki beach resort before evacuation orders were lifted. “This is our first tsunami warning ever. So this is all new to us.”

Although tsunami advisories remain in place along much of the U.S. West Coast and authorities warned sightseers to stay away from beaches, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the worst was over.

“We were fully deployed and ready to respond if necessary but grateful that we didn’t have to deal with the situation that this could have been,” she told reporters in Chile, where she is meeting officials.

Among the world’s strongest recorded quakes

The earthquake appeared to be the strongest recorded since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off Japan in 2011 caused a massive tsunami and meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said initial reports showed Japan’s nuclear plants were not affected this time.

Wednesday’s quake occurred along the “Ring of Fire,” a series of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes take place. It was centered offshore, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka’s regional capital. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed.

Russia’s Oceanology Institute said tsunami waves of less than 6 meters (20 feet) were recorded near the populated areas of the peninsula and the nearby Kuril Islands.

Meanwhile, lava began to flow Wednesday from the Northern Hemisphere’s largest volcano in a remote area of Kamchatka. Observers also heard explosions, the Russian Academy of Sciences’ geophysical service said.

Evacuations ordered in South America

Chile, a place highly vulnerable to earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis, raised its warning to the highest level early Wednesday for most of its lengthy Pacific coast and said it was evacuating hundreds of people.

“Remember that the first wave is usually not the strongest,” Chilean President Gabriel Boric warned on social media. “Let’s act calmly and follow official instructions.”

Colombian officials ordered the complete closure and evacuation of beaches and low-tide areas while maritime traffic was being restricted.

Education officials in Ecuador canceled classes at schools in the Galapagos Islands as well as communities along the coast.

Hawaii downgrades to tsunami advisory

Authorities in Hawaii downgraded the state to a tsunami advisory early Wednesday, and evacuation orders on the Big Island and Oahu, the most populated island, were lifted.

An advisory signals there is the potential for strong currents, dangerous waves and flooding on beaches or in harbors.

“As you return home, still stay off the beach and stay out of the water,” said James Barros, administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

In northern California, tsunami activity continued to build Wednesday morning with maximum confirmed heights along the coast of 3.6 feet (1.1 meters) in Crescent City.

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management said small tsunami waves were expected.

“This is not a major tsunami, but dangerous currents and strong waves may pose a risk to those near the water,” the department said.

Some regions received alerts warning of tsunami waves several feet high, which might not seem highly threatening to people unfamiliar with the risks.

“You have to think of tsunamis more like storm surge during hurricanes and not big waves in the open ocean,” said Diego Melgar, director of Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center at the University of Oregon. “It might only be 3 feet, but it’s a wall of water that’s 3 feet and spans hundreds of miles. Three feet of water can easily inundate inland and flood a couple blocks inland from the beach.”

Russian regions report limited damage

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the quake damaged a local kindergarten, which was not in operation at the time because it was being renovated.

A video released by a Russian media outlet showed a team of doctors at a cancer clinic on Kamchatka holding a patient and clutching medical equipment as the quake rocked an operating room, before continuing with surgery.

Authorities introduced a state of emergency on the sparsely populated nearby Kurils after the tsunami. They earlier reported that several waves flooded the fishing port of Severo-Kurilsk, the main city on the islands, and cut power supplies to the area. The port’s mayor said no major damage was recorded.

Authorities on Kamchatka peninsula canceled their warnings but said some risk of waves remains.

Dozens in Japan find refuge on hilltops and on rooftops

A tsunami of 2 feet (60 centimeters) was recorded in Hamanaka town in Hokkaido and Kuji port in Iwate, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Several areas reported smaller waves, and at least one person was injured.

In Iwaki, a city in Fukushima prefecture, which was the epicenter of the 2011 tsunami and quake, dozens of residents gathered at a hilltop park after a community siren sounded and breakwater gates were closed.

Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, severely damaged in 2011, took shelter on higher ground while remotely monitoring operations, the operator said.

By late Wednesday, Japan had downgraded its tsunami alert but left an advisory in place along the Pacific coast.

Authorities in the Philippines, Mexico and New Zealand warned residents to watch for waves and strong currents. People were also urged to stay away from coastlines until any wave surges passed in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands.