Desk Report,
Tsunami warning lifted, millions return home
A tsunami warning issued for the Pacific Ocean after a powerful earthquake struck Russia’s eastern coast on Wednesday has been lifted, as hundreds of thousands of people seeking refuge in other countries began to return to their homes.
Tsunami warning lifted, millions return home
A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula triggered a tsunami warning that could raise waves as high as four meters (12 feet) in some parts of the Pacific Ocean. Citizens from more than a dozen countries, from Japan to the United States and Ecuador, were warned to evacuate their coastal areas and seek higher ground.
The tsunami warning temporarily closed 65 of the 121 ports on the Pacific coast. The island of Maui in the US state of Hawaii canceled all flights to the island. However, the disaster was not as severe as feared. Although a tsunami was seen, the waves were small. Countries after countries lifted or reduced tsunami warnings and told coastal residents they could return home.
In Japan, about two million people were told to move to higher ground. The warning was later reduced or canceled. In Japan, a woman died when her car fell into a mountain gorge while driving to safety after a tsunami warning was issued. One death has been confirmed there so far, Japanese media reported.
The Fukushima nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan was temporarily evacuated. The plant was severely damaged by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
In Japan, a woman died when her car fell into a mountain gorge while driving to safety after a tsunami warning was issued. One death has been confirmed there so far, Japanese media reported.
In Chile, 1.4 million people were told to move to higher ground. Officials said there were no reports of damage or casualties. Waves of only 2 feet were seen off Chile’s northern coast.
The tsunami was the worst-hit in Russia. Russian authorities said the storm surge had flooded the port of Severo-Kurilsk and submerged a local fish processing plant.
Video footage broadcast on Russian state television showed buildings and debris being swept away by the sea. Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said the surge had reached the city’s World War II memorial, which is about 400 meters from the shore.
But the damage from this earthquake paled in comparison to the deaths and damage caused by a powerful earthquake in 2011. That 2011 earthquake and tsunami killed about 15,000 people in Japan.
Russian scientists said the Klyuchevskoy volcano erupted shortly after yesterday’s quake. The regional seismological monitoring agency said yesterday’s quake was the strongest in the Kamchatka region since 1952. It warned of aftershocks of up to 7.5 magnitude.
In Chile, 1.4 million people were told to evacuate to higher ground. There were no reports of damage or casualties, officials said. Waves were only 2 feet high on Chile’s northern coast.
Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said yesterday’s quake was one of the 10 most powerful recorded since 1900.
The quake was followed by multiple aftershocks in Russia’s sparsely populated Far East. One of them was a magnitude 6.9.
The USGS said there was a 59 percent chance of at least one aftershock measuring greater than magnitude 7 within the next week.
