A tsunami advisory has been issued for multiple parts of the B.C. coast after a large earthquake in the Pacific basin near Kamchatka, Russia, on Tuesday afternoon.
Emergency Info B.C. says there was a magnitude 8.7 earthquake around 135 kilometres southeast of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk around 4:25 p.m. PT on Tuesday.
A tsunami advisory, upgraded from an earlier tsunami watch, has been issued for B.C.’s north and central coasts including Kitimat and Bella Coola, Haida Gwaii and the west and northeast coasts of Vancouver Island.
It also spans the Juan de Fuca strait from Jordan River to Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula.
Local governments in those areas have been asked to activate their emergency plans by the U.S.-based National Tsunami Warning Center.
A tsunami watch, according to EmergencyInfoBC, means that residents should move away from the ocean and stay alert for more instructions from officials.
It also asks for boat operators to move their boats out to sea to a depth of at least 180 feet (55 metres) if time and conditions permit, and avoid shallow water and inlets if they are already at sea.
The Tsunami Watch is in effect for <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BC</a> Tsunami Notification Zones A, B, C, & D. More info:<a href=”https://t.co/pqmi9XE4UD”>https://t.co/pqmi9XE4UD</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCTsunami?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BCTsunami</a> <a href=”https://t.co/fqVooSQy5f”>https://t.co/fqVooSQy5f</a> <a href=”https://t.co/LkuK3KdL6F”>pic.twitter.com/LkuK3KdL6F</a>
John Cassidy, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said that Tuesday’s earthquake was the type of seismic movement that was most likely to generate a tsunami, and there was already confirmation of a tsunami being generated in the local region of Kamchatka.
“Those waves can travel across the Pacific … so that’s the reason for the watch along our coast and all the way down through California at this time,” he told Jason D’Souza, host of CBC’s All Points West, just before 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday.
“The tsunami waves travel at about the same speed as a jet,” he added.
Massive earthquake in the Pacific Ocean prompts a tsunami watch for parts of B.C.
Cassidy said that a tsunami watch was the lowest level of a three-tiered warning system used by emergency officials, with a tsunami advisory being the second-highest level and indicating that strong currents and waves are likely.
“Warning, which is the highest level, means move away from the water immediately. So that’s what’s taking place right now in Kamchatka,” he said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 19.3 kilometres.
A tsunami warning has been issued for the U.S. state of Hawaii, with the National Weather Service’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center saying a tsunami from the quake had been generated that 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. local time.
A tsunami warning is also in place for parts of the Alaska Aleutian Islands.
Japan’s meteorological agency has issued a tsunami alert for Japan’s Pacific coast, upgrading an earlier advisory that warned of a tsunami of up to three metres across the Pacific coast of Japan.
