Tsunami warnings in US: Key details after huge 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Russia

Tsunami waves arrived off the coast of Hawaii and California as a result of an 8.8 magnitude earthquake in eastern Russia early Wednesday morning (July 30).

The earthquake hit at around 11:25 am local time in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, and footage shows the buildings shaking as residents rush to safety.

At a depth of 18km (as per the US Geological Survey), this is the sixth strongest ever recorded and the largest since the 2011 earthquake that hit Japan, and consequently has triggered a tsunami to hit American shores in Hawaii and California.

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged people to “STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!" in a social media post on the matter.

Here are the key details you need to know:

Where has the 8.8-magnitude tsunami hit?

Underwater earthquakes are what cause tsunamis, as this movement of tectonic plates can lead the sea floor to move vertically, creating huge waves which can result in a tsunami - so it's not just one massive wave like most of us imagine.

Places that have been hit by this latest tsunami include Hawaii and California, while other areas on alert in the US include Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

Other countries that have issued alerts of some kind include Canada (the province of British Columbia more specifically), Ecuador, Indonesia, Peru, Colombia and Japan.

The biggest waves were spotted in the coastal areas of the disputed Kuril Islands shortly after the earthquake occurred, reaching heights of 16ft.

Did the tsunami hit Hawaii?

Tsunami warning sirens could be heard in Honolulu, with an evacuation of certain parts of the coast, while the coastguard advised all the boats to leave before the tsunami arrived.

Viral videos on TikTok show residents on balconies in their buildings as the sirens ring out.

Yes, the tsunami did hit Hawaii just after 8 pm local time - so what kind of waves did it cause?

A gauge at Hanalei recorded a wave height of 1.0m (3ft) above normal sea level.

Now, the Oahu Emergency Management Agency (EMA) says the evacuation order has since been lifted, and it is safe to return to areas that had been evacuated, as per Reuters.

The agency noted there was “no report of big damage”.

Did the tsunami hit Japan?

In Japan, waves of up to 1.3m (4ft) were seen in the Iwate prefecture, located on the main island of Honshu while Associated Press reported a height of 3 to 4 meters (10 to 13 feet) was recorded in Kamchatka, and 60 centimetres (2 feet) on the northern island of Hokkaido.

Evacuation orders were issued to two million people along the Pacific coast by the government, as Japan would've been reminded of the devastating 2011 earthquake that caused over 19,759 deaths.

Following the tsunami, Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said there was no confirmation of any damage as of yet.

When is the tsunami supposed to hit California?

The tsunami waves hit the US at around 1 am.

A Tsunami advisory remains in place in California, where 3.6ft waves were observed at Crescent City, according to the US National Weather Service.

Meanwhile, waves of 1.6ft above tide level were observed in Arena Cove in California, the US National Weather Service said.

How much damage is there in Russia from earthquake?

Damage-wise, waves flooded the port and a fish processing facility, and vessels had been swept from their moorings, while in the country's Russia's Sakhalin region a power grid was also damaged.

A local kindergarten was damaged in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky by the earthquake and is currently being renovated, according to AP.

As for injuries, a few people hurt themselves in a rush to exit the building, while a hospital patient was injured while jumping out of a window.

Oleg Melnikov, head of the regional health department, said some were hurt as they rushed to exit the building, but are stable, the outlet noted.

As for the tsunami, it is estimated the waves could've been up to 10 to 15 meters (30 to 50 feet) high on the Kamchatka coast, according to Russia’s Oceanology Institute.

A Russian media outlet posted a video of a team of doctors at a cancer clinic on Kamchatka holding a patient and clutching medical equipment as the quake rocked an operating room, before resumed surgery after the shaking ended.

Elsewhere, Watch as lifeguard calls for beach to be evacuated amid tsunami warnings in Hawaii, and Oprah responds to claims she 'refused' to open private road amid Hawaii tsunami warnings.

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