Tsunami waves of 3.6 ft (one metre) observed at Crescent City, California, Reuters reports, citing the National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC).
Updated at 05.53 EDT
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French Polynesia authories issue tsunami warning for Marquesas Islands archipelago
Local authorities in French Polynesia have issued a tsunami warning for the Marquesas Islands archipelago, with waves of 1.10 to 2.20 metres expected to hit the islands of Ua Huka, Nuku Hiva, and Hiva Oa overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, Reuters reports.
Residents were urged to move to higher ground and follow official instructions, including securing boats or moving them away from the shore.
Other archipelagos in French Polynesia may be affected by waves less than 30cm high, which do not require evacuation or sheltering, local authorities said.
ShareHawaii evacuation order lifted – Oahu EMA
The Oahu Emergency Management Agency (EMA) said that the evacuation order had been lifted and it was safe to return to previously evacuated areas, Reuters reports.
The EMA added that there was “no report of big damage”.
Updated at 05.55 EDT
Flights have restarted at Honolulu international airport
Flights have restarted at Honolulu international airport in Hawaii, the Hawaii transportation department said, Reuters reports.
The Hawaiian Emergency Management Agency (EMA) announced that commercial harbours will also reopen.
ShareHawaii’s tsunami warning downgraded
Hawaii’s tsunami warning has been downgraded to an advisory with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) adding that “a major tsunami is not expected to strike the state of Hawaii”.
The PTWC, operated by the National Weather Service, said in an alert:
Based on all available data a major tsunami is not expected to strike the state of hawaii. However…sea level changes and strong currents may occur along all coasts that could be a hazard to swimmers and boaters as well as to persons near the shore at beaches and in harbors and marinas.
ShareTsunami waves of 1.6 ft above tide level observed in Arena Cove, California – US Weather Service
Tsunami waves of 1.6 ft (0.5 metres) above tide level have been observed in Arena Cove in the US state of California, the US National Weather Service has said.
It said that the tsunami warning remains in effect for the coastal areas of California from Cape Mendocino, California, to the Oregon/California border.
It added:
If you are located in this coastal area, move inland to higher ground. Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring. Tsunamis are a series of waves dangerous many hours after initial arrival time. The first wave may not be the largest.
Updated at 04.56 EDT
Reuters has snapped the following:
US embassy to Papua New Guinea: tsunami threat alert in Papua New Guinea, Solomon islands, and Vanuatu.
Share‘Prepared for a long stay’: tsunami alert triggers mass evacuations across Pacific
by Jon Letman in Hawaii, Mar-Vic Cagurangan in Guam, Bryan Manabat in Saipan and Gavin Blair in Tokyo
In the Pacific territory of Guam, just before lunchtime on Tuesday, Sam Mabini’s phone began to ping. A tsunami warning was issued after a powerful 8.8-magnitude quake struck a remote part of the Russian coast. Authorities put out the alert over concerns that destructive waves could slam the shoreline in the coming hours, urging people to move away from the coast. Mabini, a former Guam senator, took action.
“I went to higher ground just in case,” Mabini said. Her family lives in the lower area of Tamuning and they moved to a more elevated part of the village. She joined other residents who evacuated to Agana Heights, a higher part of Guam’s capital, Hagåtña.
In towns and cities across the Pacific, from Guam to Saipan and Hawaii, warnings and evacuation orders rang after the quake, one of the strongest ever recorded. Workers were sent home and businesses locked down as they braced for what might hit in the hours ahead.
Read the full report here:
Here are some images coming to us over the wires.
A Honolulu resident loads water and other supplies into his vehicle. Photograph: Marco Garcia/ReutersHolidaymakers stand on balconies at the ‘Alohilani Resort looking towards Waikiki Beach. Photograph: Nichola Groom/ReutersEvacuees walk out of a truck as rescuers relocate them to a safe area following a powerful earthquake, in the region of Kamchatka, Russia. Photograph: Russian Emergencies Ministry/ReutersA deserted bathing beach in Shirahama in the western Japan prefecture of Wakayama. Photograph: KYODO/ReutersShare
Graham Readfearn
New Zealand’s emergency management agency has issued a low-level threat warning for residents all around the nation’s coastline.
The agency said it expected “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore” after the Russian earthquake. A warning said:
“People in or near the sea in the following areas should move out of the water, off beaches and shore areas and away from harbours, marinas, rivers and estuaries.”
People on boats, live-aboards and in marinas should move onto the shore, the warning said, adding that people should not go to the coast to watch for any waves coming in.
The Kahului Maui gauge in Hawaii recorded a tsunami amplitude of 4 ft (1.2 metres) relative to normal sea level, Reuters reports citing PTWC.
Updated at 03.42 EDT
Here is some more from the press conference from Hawaii governor Josh Green.
“We have still not seen any wave activity come past the big island,” Green said.
He added: “We expect it to be two to three hours at least until we can call all clear.”
Green said not to get on the road “at all unless you need to”.
Around 200 people were sheltering at Maui airport, he said. All flights in and out of the airport have been cancelled “for tonight”, he added.
You can watch the press conference here:
Hawaii governor Josh Green says airports have not yet been impacted by waves, Reuters reports.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (EMA) said all commercial harbours have been closed, Reuters reports.
Hawaii governor Josh Green said all flights in and out of Maui have been cancelled, Reuters reports. He said there were no plans to shut off any power in advance, adding that so far they have not seen a wave of consequence.
Tsunami waves near the Russian Pacific town of Severo-Kurilsk exceeded 3 metres (9.84 ft) in height. The most powerful wave reached up to 5 metres (16.4 ft), Reuters reports citing the news agency Ria.
Tsunami waves flood an area in Severo-Kurilsk, Sakhalin Region, Russia. Photograph: Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences/ReutersShare
Updated at 03.16 EDT