Holidaygoers have been left in a panic after receiving a tsunami alert while travelling in Hawaii.
It comes after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Russia’s far east in the early hours of this morning in what the BBC has described as “one of the strongest earthquakes in modern history”.
Buildings in the area, including a school, were damaged, and the effects of the quake caused tsunami waves which experts fear could reach up to 10ft in Hawaii. People on the island, as well as parts of the US’ west coast and in Japan, are being told to “take action now” and stay away from the sea.
Typically busy beaches in Hawaii have been spotted totally empty and roads are jammed with cars as people attempt to evacuate coastal areas of the island state.Katma, who travelled from New Zealand to Wakiki Hawaii recently for a holiday with her friend, has been sharing updates online.
The pair were shopping when they received an alert on their phones warning them of the unfolding disaster. Katma shared a TikTok video, and she said: “We just got this emergency alert and it says tsunami coming, and we’re not even kidding, things are shaking.”
They left the shop and noticed on their way back to the hotel that a number of businesses were closing following the alert. They found one store open, packed with people scrambling to get drinks and snacks. “We’re going to climb the highest hill,” said Katma. She noted that they got back safely to their hotel, where she was staying on the 29th floor.
Katma, who noted the lifts in her hotel have stopped operating, said: “We are planning to stay here.” “I think we’ll be okay up here, but you just never know…quite scary.” The best friends heard sirens going off in the area and noticed the roads filled with backed up traffic.
The pair have since been chilling in their hotel room. Around 8pm local time in Hawaii they noticed “the wind definately picking up”. “You just don’t know what could happen,” a nervous Katma said. One hour later, she said no waves had hit.
“It’s literally like we’re living in a movie,” she added. “I don’t even know what’s going on at this point, but we’re still alive so that’s good isn’t it.”
Another woman on TikTok said her wedding day has been thrown into turmoil following the tsunami alert. “I should be at my celebration dinner, because I just got married today, but now we are in the hotel.”
Meanwhile the BBC reports a woman from Maccelsfield is on a cruise ship off the coast of Hawaii and says “everyone started running” onboard after hearing the sirens.
Hawaii governor Josh Green said in a press conference on Tuesday that “so far we have not seen a wave of consequence, which is great relief to us”. There have been no reports of injuries or power loss at this time.
Flights to Hawaii were temporarily suspended this morning, but now Hawaiian Airlines have resumed safe flying operations. Oprah Winfrey has opened up her private road in Maui, Hawaii, to help people evacuating. “As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was opened,” a spokesperson told CNN.
Hawaiian officials have set up evacuation shelters at schools and community centres across Honolulu. The US National Weather Service has warned people against going to the coast to look for tsunami waves. The National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area office posted on X: “This will NOT be a single wave. Do NOT try to go to the coast to take photos.”
“We want everyone to stay safe. Evacuate early so you don’t put yourself in a tough situation,” said Honolulu Fire Department Chief Sheldon Hao.
Waves triggered by the tsunami have also hit the shores of California, while waves reaching 4.3ft have been recorded in Japan.
For updates on the tsunami, follow our live blog.