Public sentiment reflects a blend of concern, hope, and skepticism regarding the earthquake and tsunami alerts, with many expressing prayers for safety and community solidarity, yet others questioning the severity of the threats and showing humor in their reactions. This complexity captures a cautious optimism as people navigate their emotions amidst fear and anxiety for those affected.

Pacific Emergency Management Agencies

Seismologists

Local Communities in Affected Areas

In New Zealand we have been warned of weird ocean patterns and big swells. We are on the opposite end of the Pacific ocean to Russia and we are still going to get touched by it.


This is crazy

GreenieBeeNZ

This is the biggest earthquake recorded since the massive one that happened back in 2011.

AgitatedPatience5729

Here on Oahu, we’ve evacuated.  Traffic was insane all afternoon as everyone tried to rush home or up away from the shore.  

I’m typing this just a hundred yards away from the water, but am up on the 6th floor.

I don’t expect much more than some flooding around the beach areas.  

We’re expecting the first waves to arrive in a couple hours.

Update:  I am on my lanai overlooking Pearl Harbor and the Sand Island area.  The waves are supposed to arrive in *6-7 minutes (not hours as I said earlier.)

It is overcast and drizzling.  There are no cars on the road.  All of my neighbors houses are vacant.  Lights are off.  No one around but me and my cat (and one neighbor above me just walked out on her lanai.)

My cat definitely knows something weird is happening.  She never acts this spooked for this long.  It’s like she’s reacting to a bird but there is nothing around.

Update 2:  I have my binoculars out.  Huge swell coming from Northwest not present on Southern end.  My neighbor just shouted, “You see that white water breaking!?” 

It’s a big swell nearing Kaena Point.  Lighthouses are flashing lights.  I cannot believe I’m seeing ships and tugboats leaving harbor right now.  (Update:  they hauled ass out.  Harbor is completely empty now.)

Update 3:  It’s trippy scanning the horizon and seeing normal water on the left of me and as I scan across to the right, the horizon begins to angle up into a swell.  

Looks like the military (Air force or Navy) has positioned 4 aircraft in the distance.  It looks almost like an alien invasion since they’re just sitting in a line above Kaena.  Not a single soul is out beneath me in this (usually busy) area.  Very eerie.

Update 4:  quick breaking waves to the Northwest of me.  Water completely calm to South.  Rainstorms arriving over the waves further out.

Update 5:  No developments. Aircraft are still positioned.  A massive one just landed either at airport or somewhere near Aiea.  Tons of cloud cover to Northwest and into the mountains.  Strange weather here - almost feels like one of those Midwestern nights before a tornado comes.  Air is muggy and still.

Sun has set.  It’s difficult to see out to the horizon.  Just dark.  Water level in harbor appears normal though.

Update 6:  Wow, didn’t expect this to blow up.  Thank you all for the well wishes and the concerns.  

This morning woke up to things being pretty normal.  People are talking about last night.  We’re grateful it seems like other than high water to the Northwest, Oahu was pretty protected.  

This aligns with where the waves were headed from, and, Honolulu being on the Southern end of the island.

Everything is okay - very grateful for things.  My cat is fine as well.  Many of you asked about her.

TheBusyJD

I don’t know much about tsunamis and always assumed it was just one giant wave and then it was over. TIL it’s actually a series of waves which can last for hours/days.

Macaroni_Incident

**Tsunami warnings around the Pacific - what we know so far :**

https://preview.redd.it/p24vg492h0gf1.jpeg?width=4785&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=284e646eb50c0d987996a127d3730e88ad74ecdf

* **Waves hit US west coast** after Russian earthquake as Japan lifts tsunami warnings
* **Tsunami alert** in **Russia's far eastern peninsula** **lifted,** Kamchatka's emergency minister says the "tsunami threat cancelled in Kamchatka"
* **Japan downgrades threat leve**l from warning level to "advisory" for **Kanto to Wakayama**
* **Nearly 2 million people asked to evacuate in Japan** Evacuation orders now stretch from Hokkaido to Wakayama.
* **Russian region declares state of emergency** Sakhalin declares emergency after tsunami waves hit Severo-Kurilsk.
* According to the US Geological Survey, at magnitude 8.8 this earthquake is tied as the **sixth most severe quake** in history.
* The **8.7 magnitude earthquake** struck about 78 miles (126km) from **Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia**, at a depth of 18 kilometres, says USGS
* **China issues tsunami warning** Eastern China braces for 30cm to 1m waves. Authorities warn of possible coastal damage and ask residents to stay away from the shoreline.
* **Where the earthquake struck – and how fast the waves travel** The 8.8M quake hit near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula at 11:25am local time. Experts say tsunami waves travel as fast as a jet meaning impact can be sudden and far-reaching.

i_dead-shot

I really hope tourists aren't sitting on the beach this time. That video from 2011 was horrific. Tsunamis are some of the most destructive forces that mother nature has in her back pocket.

Edit: misspoke, I meant the 2004 Indonesia tsunami but the 2011 tsunami in Japan was certainly catastrophic as well

lol4did2you0really

I'm a seismologist and this is both terrifying and fascinating. We haven't had a big megathrust earthquake since 2010 (above 8.7). And for the first time ever the world is heavily surveiled with audiovisual footage. Back in 2010, we basically had CCTV footage and that was it. Now everything has cameras attached to it, which leads to us having access to the footage posted by OP. 

Although I'm a seismologist, I am not a tsunami expert. I understood the tsunami wave to basically just be a surface wave travelling in water (Rayleigh wave). But this footage has opened my eyes to how it actually looks. The wave actually split into sections over distance! Instead of losing energy/amplitude radially (geometrical spreading) it actually split into smaller sections that retained their amplitudes. It is possible they are solitons (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soliton#:~:text=In%20mathematics%20and%20physics%2C%20a,other%20such%20localized%20wave%20packets.) but I am not certain.

We finally might get easily-visualized live footage of the earthquake in the coming days. Although technologies like InSAR have made real time analysis of earthquakes possible, these images almost never mean anything but complicated doodles to the general public. I am looking forward to seeing what comes out next. 

I do realize this makes me sound like a cold person and for that I apologize. I actually lived through a big earthquake in 2010 (Concepcion, Chile) so you could say I'm a bit desensitized to it. I hope the death toll is not high. As a nation along the ring of fire, buildings should have strict codes so they do not collapse under shear waves.

P_A_M95

Another great time to remind people who are in Japan to download the NERV app.

https://preview.redd.it/33p0mhs0lyff1.jpeg?width=1170&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=17de0f4859ec6c96579108888e53acfaf73c85cf

xeno0153

Is there any prediction how bad the tsunami in Hawaii will be?

ButterscotchVast2948

I literally woke up today to my ac being off due to a short blackout and this message from the ndrrmc of this tsunami and my house is pretty close to the bay, also the school directly next to my house is doing a parade during that so I was dead confused.

wezegameryt2a

New Zealand is under a warning of increased or unusual waves/tides. Apparently the Civil Defence sent out an alert to all phones about it. I didn’t get anything, so it’s nice to know I can rely on that in an emergency 😂

MarsupialNo1220

If this was happening in Florida you’d see at least five dudes out there trying to surf.

SALTYP33T

Formerly_SgtPepe

But look at it, Johnny. Look at it! It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, man! Just let me go out there. Let me get one wave before you take me. One wave. I mean, where I am I gonna go, man? Cliffs on both sides, I'm not gonna paddle to New Zealand! My whole life has been about this moment, Johnny. Come on, compadre. Come on!

South-Rabbit-4064

I hope where or when it hits that there is no loss of life, and everyone is taking it seriously. 

Scary and fascinating all at once, natural phenomenons will always have me curious of the outcome.

Sauve-

Remember, if you see the ocean just suddenly disappear, GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE!!!

Lilly_in_the_Pond

For some reason I was thinking a tsunami would be one wave and not waves plural

stareabyss

Ok_Monk219

Hopefully the person in the little truck got out of their safely.

time_travel_rabbit

Yeah Japaneese belive that seeing Oar fish / Deep sea creatures bring  bad omen or natural calamities with heavy destruction....Recently oar fish was sighted in Japan.

ultimateprodigy0811

VegetableUpset9871

cadomyavo

This is why i will never buy a house by the beach.

Joppewiik

I saw a post about this earlier, and someone in the comments caught my eye. I really hope that woman's husband came back from surfing :/

GreenGrapes42

I hope everyone was able to prepare and put in the proper measures to guarantee their safety. My heart breaks knowing how many homes are about to be destroyed. 

Be safe out there 🩷

knittingbeech

Stay safe fellow Japanese redditors. May the waves be small!

toxictuts

I live on the west coast of Mexico, we are expecting 1M waves at around 5:00AM. So far no serious alerts just cautionary announcements

Z6God

This has got to be the most (and first of many) videoed and commented major Tsunami 

We are lookin at something Homo Erectus and even dinosaurs saw. Only we have a faint idea of what's happening.

TeriMaaKiLalChudiyan

Didn’t realize Owen Wilson covered natural disasters

atxtony23

I hope people heeded warnings and minimal casualties follows

IsaRat8989

We've been given warnings in Auckland, New Zealand and told to expect tsunami like activity tonight, and avoid the water.

-kez

5K337Lord

DerAlphos

Suicidal trick driving right into the waves at the last 40 seconds

sonicmerlin

Looks like their sea walls are doing good right now

Unicoi

Scary stuff glad the alerts went out in time. Hoping everyone stays safe and the waves stay minimal.

minadesu

Well, that sucks for russians. Their government will never restore what they lost. But! They can always join the army now.

outsider4200

How much damage have you personally experienced from earthquakes and tsunamis?

Suspicious_Froyo_683

Do you feel there is adequate warning for folks to reach safety?  I grew up in Oregon where there are sirens, warning routes, etc. for folks in case of a tsunami on the coast.

Did you ever have to experience a tsunami warning?

Deepfudge

GMHGeorge

structured_obscurity

whats the insurance premiums there like ?

kip707

I was an exchange student in chile. During my first few weeks a small tremor came through and my exchange parents were not bothered one bit when a cup slid off the counter. This was on the 18th floor of a highrise. 

I cant imagine how that 2010 quake felt.

cjh83

Were you living close to a beach during the tsunami’s?

1Xeverythingx1

Have you ever seen the ground “roll” before or after the impact was felt ?

Live-Independence674

How many sharknados have you experienced?

AssociateJealous8662

estás contento/a viviendo en chile o te gustaría mudarte a otro país?

joshua0005

SkyrimDragongt


Table of Questions and Answers. Original answer linked - Please upvote the original questions and answers. (I'm a bot.)
***

Question | Answer | Link
---------|----------|----------|
How much damage have you personally experienced from earthquakes and tsunamis?|Physical damage, none; only material damage.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/1lxmzie/as_a_chilean_i_grew_up_in_the_most_seismic/n2ndo3u/)
Do you feel there is adequate warning for folks to reach safety?  I grew up in Oregon where there are sirens, warning routes, etc. for folks in case of a tsunami on the coast.  Did you ever have to experience a tsunami warning?|Yes, there’s a lot of signage indicating the route to safe areas. We also have sirens, and you get a notification on your phone. And since it’s a small city, everyone knows where to go. I’ve experienced at least five alerts myself.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/1lxmzie/as_a_chilean_i_grew_up_in_the_most_seismic/n2ngzcx/)
I was an exchange student in chile. During my first few weeks a small tremor came through and my exchange parents were not bothered one bit when a cup slid off the counter. This was on the 18th floor of a highrise.  I cant imagine how that 2010 quake felt.|What you're saying is true. People don’t care if it’s a 5 or 6-magnitude quake—once it goes over 7, everything changes. The one in 2010 was horrifying, terrible, apocalyptic. And I have a story about that: during that earthquake, all the wine glasses I had were destroyed. Out of fear, I walked barefoot over the broken glass and nothing happened to me. I had to go get my sister from her room—she was 15 at the time—because our parents were at a party with their friends.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/1lxmzie/as_a_chilean_i_grew_up_in_the_most_seismic/n2nqeu8/)
Have you ever seen a tornado?|No, I’ve never seen a tornado only tsunamis and earthquakes. In my country, tornadoes don’t exist; I imagine they must be terrifying.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/1lxmzie/as_a_chilean_i_grew_up_in_the_most_seismic/n2nhtqw/)
Which experience was the most unnerving?|The 2010 earthquake was, without a doubt, one of the most shocking and terrifying experiences I have ever lived through. Everything happened suddenly, as if we were in an apocalyptic movie. The ground shook with tremendous force, and within seconds, everything around us began to collapse.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/1lxmzie/as_a_chilean_i_grew_up_in_the_most_seismic/n2nt0u5/)
Were you living close to a beach during the tsunami’s?|I lived very close to the beach I had to run to the safe part of the city, leaving everything behind. The scene looked like something out of a horror movie.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/1lxmzie/as_a_chilean_i_grew_up_in_the_most_seismic/n2nc621/)
Have you ever seen the ground “roll” before or after the impact was felt ?|The floor moves as if it were ocean waves, and this is literal.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/1lxmzie/as_a_chilean_i_grew_up_in_the_most_seismic/n2nffzt/)
whats the insurance premiums there like ?|They're quite good we're well prepared for earthquakes. No houses or buildings collapse, and the last ones that did were due to the company’s fault for building them very poorly.|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/1lxmzie/as_a_chilean_i_grew_up_in_the_most_seismic/n2nhfye/)
How many sharknados have you experienced?|I’m sure there are quite a few hahaha|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/1lxmzie/as_a_chilean_i_grew_up_in_the_most_seismic/n2np2lw/)
How's the food down there?|The food is quite good, and you have different options excellent fish and seafood and the meat is delicious|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/1lxmzie/as_a_chilean_i_grew_up_in_the_most_seismic/n2o9bj6/)
estás contento/a viviendo en chile o te gustaría mudarte a otro país?|If I’m happy living here I wouldn’t trade my country for another|[Here](/r/AMA/comments/1lxmzie/as_a_chilean_i_grew_up_in_the_most_seismic/n2of8v6/)

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[Source](https://github.com/johnsliao/ama_compiler)

ama_compiler_bot

Do the experiences of recurring natural calamity create a constant psychological uncertainty in your mind? 
Something PTSD

JadedTerm1785

On July 30, 2025, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific, including Japan, Hawaii, and the US west coast. Nearly 2 million people were evacuated, with tsunami waves impacting parts of Japan and minimal reported damage.

Earthquake and Tsunami Alerts in the Pacific

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