In anticipation of a potential tsunami striking the Pacific Coast, President Donald Trump advised residents of Hawaii, Alaska, and the surrounding areas to “STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE.”
As tsunami sirens screamed throughout Hawaii’s shorelines after one of the strongest earthquakes in modern history, Trump made the post on Truth social.
“Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“A Tsunami Watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Japan is also in the way. Please visit tsunami.gov for the latest information. STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!”
Shortly after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that sent tsunami warnings across many continents rocked Russia’s remote Kamchatka Peninsula, the urgent communication was sent.
Waves were predicted to arrive in Alaska, Washington State, Oregon, and California early on Wednesday morning, and to reach Hawaii by 7:15 p.m. local time.
The U.S. Geological Survey raised the initial magnitude of the earthquake from 8.0 to 8.8. It occurred off the eastern coast of Russia shortly after 8:25 am local time.
It was 13 miles deep, shallow enough to provide massive oceanic energy, and its centre was 74 miles from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
According to experts, it might be the most powerful earthquake to hit the planet since the Fukushima accident in 2011, which led to Japan’s nuclear meltdown.
Residents in Hawaii received warnings on their cellphones and were instructed to evacuate to higher ground.
Hawaii’s coastlines could be hit by waves of three to ten feet on Tuesday night, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.
The warning centre urged residents near beaches and harbours to leave right once, saying that “urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property.”
While the remainder of the West Coast remained under watch as officials kept an eye on sea level data and made emergency plans, the Aleutian Islands in Alaska were under a full tsunami warning.
Throughout the afternoon, the Palmer, Alaska-based National Tsunami Warning Centre increased the scope of its warnings, cautioning that severe currents and surges might come with little to no notice.
The severity of the earthquake was likened to a catastrophic incident in 1952, when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Kamchatka caused 30-foot waves to slam into Hawaii, causing extensive damage.
Similar to Tuesday’s tremor, that historic one happened along the ephemeral Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, a seismic hotbed that surrounds the ocean basin.
Seismologists warned that pressure was increasing along the fault line after a series of strong earthquakes, including one that measured 7.4, shook the same area earlier this month.