What is a tsunami and what should I do if I get an emergency alert?
Bryony Gooch31 July 2025 09:30
In pictures: Waves hit boats in Chile during tsunami advisory
(AFP via Getty Images)
Bryony Gooch31 July 2025 09:15
New Zealand tsunami advisory remains in place
New Zealand has kept tsunami advisory in place as “strong and unusual currents on the eastern side” may be present for another 24 hours.
Due to rebounding tsunami activity from South America, the east coast of both the North and South Islands and the Chatham Islands remain under a National Advisory, and are likely to remain so overnight.
The West Coast of the South Island, and Cook Strait, meet the threshold for the National Advisory to remain in place however, the tsunami activity threat is at the low end of the scale.
Bryony Gooch31 July 2025 09:03
One woman dies in tsunami in Japan
A woman in Japan has died during the tsunami, according to chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi.
The woman, in her fifties, died after her car fell off the cliff while evacuating to higher ground in central Japan’s Mie Prefecture.
A further 10 people were injured as they rushed to shelter in Hokkaido.
Separately, 11 people were taken to hospital after developing symptoms of heatstroke while taking shelter in hot weather, with temperatures rising to around 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some places.
Bryony Gooch31 July 2025 08:55
A tiny California city prone to tsunamis saw the highest waves in US
A small California coastal city near the border with Oregon that has recorded dozens of tsunamis, including one that killed 11 people more than 60 years ago, saw little damage Wednesday as locals returned to their routines amid sunny skies in the town known as a tsunami magnet.
Crescent City recorded waves of up to 4ft early Wednesday — the highest recorded anywhere in the continental United States following an 8.8-magnitude earthquake centered off the coast of Russia’s Far East hours earlier. Still, those were far smaller than the 21ft waves caused by the deadly 1964 tsunami.
This time, no one was injured in the city of 6,600 and there was no major flooding, with downtown open later Wednesday morning. A dock at the city’s harbor was damaged, and officials warned people to stay away from beaches and waterways.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar31 July 2025 08:00
How did Russia avoid major damage from earthquake and tsunami?
A powerful earthquake struck on Wednesday off Russia’s Far East coast, flooding a fishing port with waves from a tsunami, cutting power to a few areas and sending some panicked residents fleeing buildings but causing only a few injuries.
Regional authorities say they were prepared for the 8.8-magnitude quake and the subsequent waves, and moved quickly to keep residents safe. They introduced a state of emergency in some areas, but said there was no major damage.
Here is what to know about the Russian areas hit by the quake and tsunami:
Dubbed the “land of fire and ice,” Kamchatka is one of the most active volcanic regions on Earth. It has about 300 volcanoes, with 29 of them still active, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory. Quakes and tsunamis regularly strike the peninsula that lies close to an ocean trench where two tectonic plates meet.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar31 July 2025 07:45
Japan downgrades last tsunami alert
Japan has downgraded its last remaining tsunami alert, which was in the country’s north.
Tsunami advisories remain in place for its Pacific coast following the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck off Russia’s Far East on Wednesday.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar31 July 2025 07:30
New Zealand says tsunami activity has begun
New Zealand’s emergency management officials say coastlines of the country are experiencing strong currents and wave surges as tsunami activity reaches shores.
An alert broadcast to every cell phone this morning said the threat is likely to remain in place until at least midday.
Evacuations haven’t been ordered. But people throughout the South Pacific island nation are warned to stay out of the water and away from beaches, shorelines, harbors, rivers and estuaries.
New Zealand is about 9,656km from the quake’s epicenter. Officials warn that the first tsunami waves might not be the largest to arrive and people should treat the threat as real until the alert is canceled.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar31 July 2025 07:15
Volcano in Russia’s far east erupts after huge Pacific earthquake
Russia’s Klyuchevskoy volcano has erupted on the Kamchatka peninsula, following a powerful earthquake in the Pacific on Wednesday.
Scientists described the “descent of burning hot lava” down the slopes of one of the world’s highest active volcanoes, hours after a huge 8.8-magnitude earthquake rocked the region and prompted tsunami waves in the Pacific.
Klyuchevskoy, which has erupted several times over recent years, is located approximately 450 km (280 miles) north of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the regional capital.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar31 July 2025 06:50
Tunami alerts lowered in much of South America
In South America, three of the four countries with coastlines on the Pacific lifted the tsunami warnings.
Authorities in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru this morning announced the tsunami alerts were dropped. In Chile, the country with the largest Pacific coastline in South America, the government kept the alert along most of the coastline while lifting it in some areas where authorities said there are no longer risks.
Chile’s interior minister, Alvaro Elizalde, said that evacuation orders remain in place in areas with remaining alerts and classes will continue canceled on Thursday.
He said that waves reached a height of 1.1m in some places, and in one location reached 2.5m.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar31 July 2025 06:31
AloJapan.com