Tsunami Waves Hit U.S. Coast

After Massive 8.8 Quake Off Russia

Tsunami waves have reached the U.S. West Coast after a powerful 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. The quake, which hit at 11:25 a.m. local time Wednesday, triggered tsunami alerts across the Pacific and led to widespread evacuations.

The earthquake is among the most powerful recorded in modern history.

Authorities in Russia evacuated the port town of Severo-Kurilsk, where 13-foot waves flooded coastal infrastructure, including a fish processing facility. In Japan, nearly two million people were ordered to evacuate. Though official warnings have since been downgraded, tsunami advisories remain in place.

Evacuation orders and tsunami watches were also issued in nations as far apart as New Zealand, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

In Hawaii, panic broke out as sirens blared across coastal areas. A British cruise passenger on the Big Island told the BBC, “Everyone was just running. It was chaos.”

Waves have now made landfall in parts of California and Oregon. Emergency services along the U.S. Pacific coast are on high alert, monitoring incoming swells and potential aftershocks.

This is a developing story. Coastal populations are advised to avoid shorelines, ports, and low-lying areas until further notice. Authorities are coordinating internationally as the Pacific faces one of its most serious seismic events in years.