Tsunami warning live updates: reports of four metre waves in Russian region; US widens alerts after earthquake off Kamchatka | Earthquakes
It appears Russia hit with the worst so far, but no major injuries reported
Russia appears to be the worst hit by the major earthquake so far, with some reported damage near the quake’s epicentre in Kamchatka. Footage showed a damaged kindergarten in the area, as well as waves sweeping inland in a port town nearby. There were also reports of waves up to four metres high in the remote region.
But local officials have not yet reported any serious injuries. Oleg Melnikov, a regional health minister in Russia, said some people were hurt running outside and in other minor incidents, Reuters reports. But he said all patients “are currently in satisfactory condition, and no serious injuries have been reported so far”.
Many along the Japanese coastline were waiting for waves to hit in the coming hour, and tsunami warnings remain in place for parts of Alaska and Hawaii.
Key events
Hawaii governor issues emergency proclamation
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has issued an emergency proclamation related to the tsunami and urged residents to heed evacuation warnings and not risk being near the shoreline. He said officials were monitoring the tsunami as it approaches the Midway Islands, which would give them a better sense as to how big waves could be when they reach the state in a few hours. Green said on X:
People need to evacuate, that’s very clear. … Please take this very seriously.
Do not risk being out at all near the shoreline.
Green added in a news briefing that a tsunami wave was “not a regular wave”:
It will actually kill you if you get hit by a tsunami, so you have to be out of that area.
Tsunami expected to hit parts of eastern China, could cause damage
China’s tsunami warning centre said Wednesday that waves of between 30cm and 1 metre were expected to hit parts of the eastern seaboard, AFP reports. The centre said:
Based on the latest warning and analysis results, the Tsunami Advisory Center of the Ministry of National Resources has determined that the earthquake has triggered a tsunami, which is expected to cause damage to certain coastal areas of China.
A warning from US weather officials: tsunamis are not just one wave
The National Weather Service’s Bay Area branch issued a sharp warning against complacency surrounding a tsunami, warning against people trying to take photos of the event. The agency wrote on X:
Friends please be aware, a Tsunami is a series of wave[s] carrying a large extra mass of water to our coast.
This will NOT be a single wave.
Do NOT try to go to the coast to take photos.
You’re not just putting yourself at risk, you will also be putting rescue teams at risk.
Friends please be aware, a Tsunami is a series of wave carrying a large extra mass of water to our coast.
This will NOT be a single wave.
Do NOT try to go to the coast to take photos.You’re not just putting yourself at risk, you will also be putting rescue teams at risk. #CAwx https://t.co/u7kfCl6y05 pic.twitter.com/VZSIFhbbKd
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) July 30, 2025
What we know so far about the warnings stretching from Japan to the US
In case you’re overwhelmed by the sheer scope of updates across the Pacific, here’s a quick primer on what’s been going on today:
Earthquake off Russia sets off tsunami warning sirens in Honolulu – video
Tsunami warning issued for California coast near border with Oregon
A tsunami warning has been issued for part of the California coastline. The warning stretches from Cape Mendocino up to the state’s border with Oregon.
A tsunami warning is now in effect along parts of California’s North Coast — from Cape Mendocino to the Oregon border.@Cal_OES is coordinating with local officials. Please stay alert and follow instructions from emergency personnel.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) July 30, 2025
More than 900,000 under evacuation advisories in Japan
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said no injuries or damages have been reported so far, the AP reports.
The agency has issued an evacuation advisory to more than 900,000 people in 133 municipalities along the Japanese coastline, stretching from Hokkaido to Okinawa. It’s unclear how many people actually took shelter.
Jon Letman
More from Jon Letman: Hawaii residents have become particularly sensitive to cell phone warning and civil defence sirens after Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency issued a false alert warning of an inbound “ballistic missile threat” in 2018, causing widespread panic.
All islands have activated their Emergency Operating Centers, shelters are opening, and everyone in coastal areas is being advised to head to higher ground immediately.
Kauai Police are asking the public to stay off the road unless absolutely necessary and advising of the closure of the westbound lane on Hanalei Bridge, with the eastbound land open for evacuations.
Reporter Jon Letman is in from Kauai, Hawaii. He said tsunami warning sirens blared for a second time at 4:10 p.m (local time) and could be heard on multiple islands including Oahu and Kauai.
Kyle Kajihiro, assistant professor at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, was on campus when he received a warning alert on his cell phone. Kajihiro said the campus was shutting down and traffic on Honolulu’s highways was noticeably heavy.
On Kauai, shortly after the tsunami warning was issued, staff at the National Tropical Botanical Garden suspended tours on its south shore and moved all visitors and staff out of the inundation zone to higher ground.
Blue skies and breezy conditions prevailed even as many Hawaii residents left work early heading for home or designated safe areas away from the islands’ heavily populated coastline.
It appears Russia hit with the worst so far, but no major injuries reported
Russia appears to be the worst hit by the major earthquake so far, with some reported damage near the quake’s epicentre in Kamchatka. Footage showed a damaged kindergarten in the area, as well as waves sweeping inland in a port town nearby. There were also reports of waves up to four metres high in the remote region.
But local officials have not yet reported any serious injuries. Oleg Melnikov, a regional health minister in Russia, said some people were hurt running outside and in other minor incidents, Reuters reports. But he said all patients “are currently in satisfactory condition, and no serious injuries have been reported so far”.
Many along the Japanese coastline were waiting for waves to hit in the coming hour, and tsunami warnings remain in place for parts of Alaska and Hawaii.
People gather on a rooftop after a tsunami alert in Japan – video
Russian scientists call quake a ‘unique event’, warn aftershocks could last for up to a month
In a statement posted on the Telegram channel for the local branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences’, the group called the earthquake a “unique event.” They said the epicentre was near a recent earthquake that struck the peninsula on 20 July, the AP reports.
While the situation “was under control,” they said there are risks of aftershocks, which could last for up to a month, and warned against visiting certain coastal areas.
Quake off Russia’s far east was region’s ‘strongest since 1952’, local agency says
An 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia’s far east coast early Wednesday was the region’s strongest since 1952, with aftershocks of up to 7.5 magnitude possible, the regional seismic monitoring service said, per Agency France-Presse. Kamchatka’s geophysical service said:
The strongest earthquake since 1952 has just occurred in the Kamchatka seismic zone … Given the scale of the event, strong aftershocks with a magnitude of up to 7.5 should be expected.
Some scenes from Honolulu amid evacuation alerts for coastal areas:
Earthquake now classified as magnitude 8.8, USGS says
The USGS has updated its preliminary readings of the earthquake off the coast of Kamchatka this morning, and now classifies it as a magnitude 8.8.
More than a dozen other, smaller quakes have since shaken the region.
The 8.8 magnitude quake, if officially confirmed, would see the temblor in the top 10 largest earthquakes ever recorded.
A post on X from Hawaii’s department of transportation notes that the coast guard has advised all vessels to leave port. That advisory is for all islands.
The first waves in Hawaii were expected around 7pm local time, which is in about two and a half hours from now.
Donald Trump has posted on Truth Social urging Americans to “stay strong and stay safe” following the tsunami warnings for Hawaii, Alaska and the Pacific coast of the US.
“Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii. 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!” he wrote.
Some images are coming through from Japan:
Fukushima nuclear plant workers evacuated
Workers at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeast Japan were evacuated Wednesday, according to AFP.
“We have evacuated all workers and employees” at the Fukushima Daiichi plant – which went into meltdown after being hit by a tsunami in 2011 – a spokesperson for plant operator TEPCO told the news wire, adding that “no abnormality” had been observed at the site.
