Oregon coast under tsunami advisory after powerful Russia earthquake

A powerful earthquake in Russia sent tsunami waves surging toward Japan and parts of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, while Oregon and much of the West Coast were expected to be hit with smaller waves.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 8.8 quake hit near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula at 4:25 p.m. Pacific Time.

The National Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami advisory for most of the West Coast, including Oregon, Washington and California. Hawaii officials warned of tsunami waves that could cause damage along the coastlines of all the islands of that state.

A stretch of northern California ending at the Oregon border was under a tsunami warning as of around 11 p.m., meaning a tsunami with “the potential to generate widespread inundation” could occur.

Tsunami waves are expected to reach Oregon around 11:34 p.m., with waves forecast to be up to 1.8 feet above the tide. Tsunami waves could continue to hit the Oregon coast for 15 hours after they arrive. The National Weather Service said widespread inundation was not expected.

The advisory includes the Columbia River estuary at the wide mouth of the river.

The tsunami center cautioned that waves could be dangerous for many hours, and the first tsunami wave or surge might not be the highest.

Oregonians were advised to move out of the water and away from beaches, marinas, harbors and inlets, and not to go to the shore to observe the tsunami.

“This is not a major tsunami, but dangerous currents and strong waves may pose a risk to those near the water,” the Oregon Office of Emergency Management said on social media.

Authorities in Coos County are expecting waves up to 3 feet and strong currents, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said. That means people can stay in their homes tonight but should stay away from the water and the beach, Sgt. Christopher Gill said.

“We don’t need people getting sucked out to sea just because they want to see a tsunami,” Gill said. “They’re not something worth risking lives over.”

Boat operators, where possible, should move their boat to sea to a depth of at least 180 feet, or if at sea avoid entering shallow waters to avoid debris and currents.

Residents and visitors in the low-lying areas should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice if the tsunami advisory is upgraded to a warning, Gill said.

Oregonians in the tsunami advisory area who feel shaking should assume an earthquake has occurred and a tsunami might be imminent. An Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries tool, at nvs.nanoos.org/TsunamiEvac, offers tsunami evacuation guidance based on any address on the Oregon coast.

The March 2011 tsunami that hit the Oregon coast after a powerful earthquake off Japan brought waves of more than 6 feet, causing millions of dollars in damage.

After Tuesday’s quake in Russia, Japan was bracing for a tsunami of up to 3 meters. The quake was about 160 miles away from Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost of the country’s four big islands, and was felt only slightly, according to Japan’s NHK television.

Russia’s Tass news agency reported from the biggest city nearby, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, that many people ran out into the street without shoes or outerwear. Cabinets toppled inside homes, mirrors were broken, cars swayed in the street and balconies on buildings shook noticeably.

Tass also reported power outages and mobile phone service failures in the capital of the Kamchatka region.

Earlier in July, five powerful quakes — the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 — struck in the sea near Kamchatka. The largest quake was at a depth of 20 kilometers and was 89 miles east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000.

On Nov. 4, 1952, a magnitude 9.0 quake in Kamchatka caused damage but no reported deaths despite setting off 30-foot waves in Hawaii.

Hawaii, Oregon warn residents of potential damage

The impact of the tsunami could last for hours – such as in Adak, a community of about 70 people in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands — or perhaps more than a day, Snider said.

“A tsunami is not just one wave,” he said. “It’s a series of powerful waves over a long period of time. Tsunamis cross the ocean at hundreds of miles an hour — as fast as a jet airplane — in deep water. But when they get close to the shore, they slow down and start to pile up. And that’s where that inundation problem becomes a little bit more possible there.”

“In this case, because of the Earth basically sending out these huge ripples of water across the ocean, they’re going to be moving back and forth for quite a while,” which is why some communities may feel effects longer, he said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said the tsunami generated by the quake could cause damage along the coastlines of all the Hawaiian islands.

“Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property,” the warning stated. The first waves were expected around 7 p.m. Tuesday local time.

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management said on Facebook that small tsunami waves were expected along the coast starting around 11:40 p.m. local time, with wave heights between 1 to 2 feet. It urged people to stay away from beaches, harbors and marinas and to remain in a safe location away from the coast until the advisory is lifted.

“This is not a major tsunami, but dangerous currents and strong waves may pose a risk to those near the water,” the department said.

Much of the West Coast spanning Canada’s British Columbia province, Washington state and California were also under a tsunami advisory.

A tsunami of less than a foot was forecast to hit parts of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The province’s emergency preparedness agency said waves were expected to reach remote Langara Island around 10:05 p.m. Tuesday and Tofino around 11:30 p.m. The agency said “multiple waves over time” were expected.