Communities Across the Pacific Evacuate as Tsunami Warning Follows Massive Quake
Just before lunchtime on Tuesday, phones across Guam buzzed with emergency alerts: a tsunami warning had been issued. The alert came after a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s remote eastern coast, raising concerns about potentially destructive waves reaching Pacific shores within hours.
Former Guam senator Sam Mabini didn’t wait. “I went to higher ground just in case,” she said. Her family, living in the low-lying area of Tamuning, relocated to higher ground in Agana Heights, along with other residents seeking safety in the elevated district of Hagåtña, Guam’s capital.
The warning rippled across the Pacific. In places like Saipan, Hawaii, and Guam, sirens and alerts triggered evacuations, closed businesses, and sent workers home. In Russia, waves as high as four meters were recorded, and coastal residents were told to move inland.
Japan also responded swiftly. Public broadcaster NHK aired footage showing evacuees gathered on rooftops in Hokkaido, shielding themselves from the heat under tents. Fishing vessels fled harbors to avoid damage, and around 200 people evacuated to the hilltop Senjuin temple in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture—a city devastated by the 2011 tsunami that claimed about 1,250 lives.
“We’re prepared for a long stay,” said Keio Shibasaki, the temple’s chief priest, who told the Mainichi Shimbun they had started preparing food from emergency stores in case of outages. While fewer people arrived compared to 2011, evacuees included city hall workers, post office staff, and children and teachers from a nearby kindergarten.
Keito Fujiwara, the kindergarten principal, emphasized caution. “We evacuated immediately. Food supplies were already stored at the temple,” he said. “During the 2011 disaster, some parents who tried to pick up their children became victims, so we made it clear through our LINE group that no one should attempt that.”
That 2011 tsunami had overrun Kamaishi’s $1.5 billion seawall, completed just two years prior, shocking the world with footage of the destruction.
In Hawaii, tsunami sirens blared twice on Tuesday afternoon on islands including Oahu and Kauai. The Honolulu Department of Emergency Management issued stark warnings: “Take Action! Destructive tsunami waves expected.” Evacuation orders followed for vulnerable coastal zones.
As residents scrambled to evacuate, traffic gridlocked parts of Honolulu. Officials planned to open a mountain pass as an escape route from Waianae, a seaside community on Oahu. Despite schools being on summer break, some canceled extracurricular activities.
Kyle Kajihiro, a professor at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, was on campus when his phone buzzed. The university began shutting down as highways filled with traffic.
On Kauai, staff at the National Tropical Botanical Garden halted tours and led everyone inland to higher ground. Despite the calm skies and breezy weather, memories of past alerts—and a false 2018 missile alarm that caused mass panic—kept many on edge. Emergency operation centers opened across all islands, shelters were prepared, and people were urged to avoid roads unless absolutely necessary.
Guam’s government advised residents to stay away from beaches and harbors, move at least 100 feet inland and 50 feet above sea level. The port authority and other agencies suspended operations. In Tumon, workers at the Guam Visitors Bureau were sent home, along with many others.
But not everyone heeded the warning. Tessa Borja, a policy analyst living in a second-floor apartment in Tumon, chose to stay. “We’re protected by the reef,” she said, unconcerned.
Similar scenes unfolded in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. Government offices and coastal businesses closed, and long queues formed at petrol stations as residents rushed to prepare. Some fled to higher ground, awaiting the all-clear. Regular tsunami drills on the island had kept many prepared for such an event.
