Pacific Tsunami Alert: French Polynesia Threatened, Imminent Impact
The essentials:
- A powerful earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale occurred this Wednesday, July 30, at 1:25 a.m. (Paris time), off the coast of the Russian region of Kamchatka (northeastern Russia).
- Several countries, including Japan, Peru, the United States, China, and Ecuador, issued tsunami warnings for their coasts following the earthquake. In Japan, employees of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, devastated by a tsunami in 2011, were evacuated.
- In the north of Russia's Kuril Islands, several successive tsunamis have already flooded streets. In Japan, authorities are already warning that "tsunamis will strike repeatedly." A tsunami of 1.30 meters has just been recorded in Japan, according to public broadcaster NHK.
- In French Polynesia, "waves of up to 3 meters are possible along some coasts," warned the PTWC, based in Honolulu, Hawaii, in a statement. The Secretary General of the High Commission of the Republic in French Polynesia assured that authorities have "more than four hours before being affected." The potential impact of the tsunami is expected between 12:57 a.m. and 1:08 a.m. in the Marquesas Islands, or around 12:30 p.m. (Paris time).
"Tsunami waves are currently impacting Hawaii," wrote the Hawaiian island of Oahu Emergency Management Service on X. Josh Green, Hawaii's governor, is "crossing his fingers" that Hawaii doesn't suffer "large tsunamis," as "dozens of waves of 8-12 inches and up to well over a meter" have been recorded, particularly in Haleiwa. He praised the "thoughtful and safe" attitude of residents as night fell over Hawaii. Traffic at the airport in Maui, the second largest city in the archipelago, has been suspended as a precaution. All commercial ports are also closed.
The prefect of Wallis and Futuna issued a warning this Wednesday morning (Paris time) about the "risk of a tsunami wave." The "latest projections indicate a maximum sea level rise of 55 cm in Wallis and 50 cm in Futuna today, between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.." While outings are not recommended, "there is no need to go to higher ground," the press release states, due to the absence of a risk of significant submersion of the coastline.
????Tsunami wave risk A powerful earthquake measuring 8.7 magnitude occurred off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. ????Latest projections indicate a maximum sea level rise of 55 cm in Wallis and 50 cm in Futuna today, between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. #vigilance pic.twitter.com/8WIEiNZWMX
On X, the Minister to the Minister of the Interior calls on Polynesians "to follow the authorities' instructions" as a tsunami is forecast to hit the five archipelagos of the Marquesas Islands this afternoon. "I offer my full support to our Polynesian compatriots. The Government is fully mobilized," writes François-Noël Buffet.
Following a violent earthquake in the Pacific, a tsunami warning is in effect in the region. I urge everyone to follow the instructions of local authorities with vigilance and offer my full support to our fellow Polynesians. The Government is fully mobilized.
The five archipelagos of the Marquesas Islands will be affected by the earthquake in a few hours. "For the entire night, the safety instructions are simple: do not approach the coast, do not approach the rivers, and stay indoors," recalls Xavier Marotel, Secretary General of the High Commission, quoted by La 1ère. "For ships, they must go to sea at a depth of more than 1,000 m or safely on land," he continues.
The potential impact of the tsunami is expected between 00:57 and 1:08 in the Marquesas Islands, with an ocean wave expected to be between 1.10 and 2.20 meters, or around 12:30 (Paris time). "At the High Commission, the crisis command post (crisis PC) is activated in coordination with the State, the Country and the municipalities," specifies La 1ère . "The recommendations are to follow safety instructions, the mayors have activated their municipal safeguard plans. The gendarmerie is securing the population immediately," recalls Xavier Marotel, secretary general of the High Commission. "Across the Marquesas Islands, we will activate the FR-Alerte plan, with SMS messages sent from 11 p.m. On the three islands where the water levels are highest, we will sound the sirens at 11 p.m., so that people can get to safety," it was specified.
On Wednesday, a tsunami with a height of 1.30 m hit Japan and the port of Kuji, in Iwate Prefecture, but it was not the only one. Waves also reached the city of Hamanaka (60 cm), Tokachi and Hiroo (50 cm), Hachinohe (50 cm), Ishinomaki (50 cm), Soma (50 cm) and the island of Hachijojima (50 cm), reports NHK .
Following the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Russia last night, several people were injured in the Kamchatka Peninsula on Russia's Pacific coast. Authorities are asking residents to stay away from the coast to prevent the death toll from rising in view of the extremely dangerous weather conditions.
In Russia, authorities declared a state of emergency Wednesday in the northern Kuril Islands, where a tsunami flooded the port city of Severo-Kurilsk. "A state of emergency has been declared in the North Kuril Islands, where an earthquake and tsunami occurred today," the Sakhalin regional government said in a statement. This morning, rescuers were inspecting a kindergarten damaged by the earthquake, as seen in this image from the press service of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry.
This Wednesday, July 30, on BFMTV, the Secretary General of the High Commission of the Republic in French Polynesia confirmed that "the Marquesas archipelago is affected" by the tsunami alert. Xavier Marotel specified that waves of "1.10 to 2.20 m" are expected, requiring "populations to be sheltered," particularly on the islands of Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, and Ua Huka. Elsewhere in the archipelago, waves will not exceed 1 m, which will not require the evacuation of the population.
An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck overnight Tuesday, 126 kilometers from the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, capital of Russia's Kamchatka region. It is already one of the six most powerful ever recorded on the planet, according to figures from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
It occurred at a depth of 20.7 kilometers. This Wednesday, flooding was reported in Severo-Kurilsk, in the north of Russia's Kuril Islands. "The tsunami flooded parts of the port city of Severo-Kurilsk (...) The population has been evacuated," wrote the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. Russian authorities declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in the northern Kuril Islands.
A first tsunami has already been observed in northern Japan, with a height of 30 centimeters on the island of Hokkaido. Much larger tsunamis are feared along the northern and eastern coasts of Japan, as far south as Osaka. Chile, Costa Rica, Australia, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, Tonga, Taiwan... Tsunamis 1 to 3 meters above tide level are possible along some coasts of these territories.
But that's not all, far from it. The Philippines fears a tsunami of up to 1 meter. Authorities have urged residents on the east coast to move inland. In the United States, a series of warnings has been issued along the North American west coast from Alaska to the entire Californian coast. Tsunami warnings have been broadcast on cell phones in California, according to AFP journalists. China has also issued a warning for its eastern coastline. "The Tsunami Prevention Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources has determined that this earthquake triggered a tsunami, which is expected to cause damage in some coastal areas of China," the Chinese prevention center said in a statement.
Ecuadorian authorities are also deeply concerned. A precautionary evacuation of the Galapagos Islands coastline has been ordered. "The immediate suspension of maritime activities, as well as the precautionary evacuation of beaches, docks, and low-lying areas" of the archipelago (located 1,000 km from the mainland), was announced in a statement. Mexico and Peru are also on alert. "A tsunami warning is in effect for residents of Hawaii. A tsunami watch is also in effect for Alaska and the Pacific coast of the United States. Stay strong and safe," wrote US President Donald Trump on Truth Social.
In French Polynesia, concern is growing. "The Geophysics Laboratory informed the High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia of a potential impact" on the territory, during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, the authorities announced. The High Commission specified that "an ocean wave" was heading "towards the coast of the Marquesas, with a maximum height of 2.60 m." The Leeward Islands should be affected by a water height of less than 30 cm," it added. New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna could also be hit by waves ranging from "30 cm to one meter" above sea level.
"It's a general mobilization. State services have activated a crisis unit to alert the population, in concert with all other services and town halls. According to estimates, three of the six Marquesas Islands are affected, with the risk of a wave of up to 2.20 meters. They will be hit in six hours, during the night, between midnight and 1 a.m. (local time, or midday in Paris). These three islands are Ua Huka, Nuku Hiva, and Hiva Oa," explained the High Commission of the Republic in French Polynesia, comments relayed by AFP.
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