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One of the most powerful earthquakes in recent history struck Russia’s Far East early Wednesday, shaking the Kamchatka Peninsula with a magnitude of 8.8 and prompting tsunami alerts across the Pacific—from Japan to Hawaii, and as far as New Zealand and Central America.

The earthquake, which occurred at 8:25 a.m. Japan time, was centered about 119 kilometers southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of 180,000 on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The U.S. Geological Survey later revised the quake’s depth to 20.7 kilometers and magnitude to 8.8—placing it among the world’s strongest in over a decade.

The seismic jolt was followed by a series of strong aftershocks, the largest registering 6.9. The ground shaking damaged buildings and knocked out power and phone services in parts of Kamchatka, though no serious injuries have been reported so far. Residents in coastal settlements, including Severo-Kurilsk in the Kuril Islands, were evacuated to higher ground as a precaution against tsunami waves.

While the Russian coast took the brunt of the quake, its impact was felt thousands of kilometers away. In Japan, waves of up to 50 centimeters reached the port of Ishinomaki in the north, and tsunami warnings triggered widespread evacuations. More than 900,000 residents across 133 municipalities from Hokkaido to Okinawa were advised to seek safety inland. Public transportation was disrupted, ferry routes suspended, and Sendai airport temporarily closed. Despite the alert, Japanese nuclear facilities, including the Fukushima Daiichi plant, reported no abnormalities.

Tsunami advisories were also issued across the Pacific Rim. In Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, waves about 30 centimeters high reached Adak and Amchitka. Officials emphasized that tsunami effects could last for hours—or even longer—as powerful oceanic ripples continued to move back and forth across vast distances.

“A tsunami is not just one wave,” explained Dave Snider of the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center. “They travel at the speed of a jet across the ocean, and when they reach shallower water, they rise and spread, posing a risk even if wave heights seem modest.”

In Hawaii, the alerts led to traffic jams during the Tuesday afternoon rush hour in Honolulu, sirens blared, and schools canceled activities. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves could impact all Hawaiian islands and warned residents to take urgent precautions.

On the U.S. West Coast, Oregon expected waves up to two feet high around midnight, with emergency management urging people to stay clear of the coast. California, Washington state, and British Columbia in Canada were also under advisory. Remote areas of Vancouver Island were forecast to see waves just under 30 centimeters.

Further south, Mexico’s navy warned of waves along the Pacific coast, beginning in Baja California and spreading as far as Chiapas. In the Philippines, coastal provinces were warned of waves under a meter high and advised to avoid beaches. New Zealand also issued alerts, cautioning about strong and unusual currents, with impacts expected later on Wednesday.

Although early reports indicate no significant damage or casualties across affected regions, authorities across the Pacific emphasized continued vigilance. Waves from major quakes can arrive in multiple surges over long periods, and aftershocks could persist for weeks.

Wednesday’s quake is the strongest to hit the Kamchatka Peninsula since 1952 and the most powerful globally since the 9.0-magnitude disaster that struck Japan in 2011, triggering a massive tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

For now, the worst appears to have been avoided. But with tectonic plates still settling and ocean waters in motion, officials are urging communities across the Pacific to remain alert—and stay prepared.