Tsunami fears ease following 8.8 earthquake: 'A great relief to us'
In Hawaii, the governor calmly told residents to head for higher ground and warned of heavy damage. In Japan, where residents are still scarred from a 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster, a normally staid TV newscaster screamed at his viewers: "Do not be glued to the screen. Evacuate now!"
A wave of dread moved at lightning speed across the Pacific Ocean after one of the biggest earthquakes ever recorded hit Russia's Far East early on July 30, churning up instant fears of a tsunami with the power to devastate communities from Alaska to California and as far away as French Polynesia and Chile.
Then, hours later, after thousands braved gridlocked evacuation routes and displaced residents bedded down on hard shelter floors, came the relief. "So far, we have not seen a wave of consequence, which is a great relief to us," Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told reporters as he lifted some evacuation orders.
More: Tsunami evacuation orders lifted in Hawaii, threat to West Coast eases
Modest tsunami waves 'a blessing'
More: Sirens blare, traffic gridlocks as Hawaii braces for tsunami threat
The tsunami spawned by the quake turned out to be modest. Amid flooding and some injuries in Russia's Kamchatka region, the earthquake and seismic sea wave caused no reported loss of life.
Tsunami waves of 5.7 feet reached Kahului in Hawaii, while the highest waves to hit the U.S. mainland were 4 feet in Crescent City, California. "It's kind of a blessing to not be reporting any damage," Green said.
'This is not going to be a 1964 event that we're looking at, destroying several blocks of the town,' Crescent City Manager Eric Weir told reporters, according to the Los Angeles Times. 'However, it is going to be an event that creates a lot of disruption in the ocean, a lot of strong currents. We're asking people to stay away from the beaches, stay away from the mouths of the river and any low-lying area.'
Traumatic memories in Japan
Memories are more recent – and much more raw – in Japan, where the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake struck with a force of 9.0 off the northeast coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami that caused widespread destruction and a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, killing more than 20,000 people.
Tsunami warnings were downgraded in parts of Japan on July 30, as officials reported no injuries or damage as waves higher than 4 feet reached the Kuji Port.
Contributing: Reuters
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