Japan urges 2 million to evacuate after powerful Pacific quake

Japan has urged nearly 2 million people to evacuate coastal areas after one of the most powerful earthquakes in decades struck off Russia’s Far East on Wednesday, sending tsunami waves rippling across the Pacific and prompting alerts from Alaska to New Zealand.

The magnitude-8.8 quake, which struck off the Kamchatka peninsula near Petropavlovsk, is among the strongest 10 ever recorded, according to the United States Geological Survey. Tsunami warnings were issued for Japan, Russia’s Kuril Islands, Hawaii and several other Pacific territories.

In Japan, authorities warned of possible waves as high as three metres (9.8 feet) and upgraded alerts for wide swathes of the eastern coastline. As of midday on Wednesday, more than 220 municipalities were under evacuation advisories, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said, with almost 2 million people urged to move to higher ground.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said a 60cm (24-inch) wave had reached parts of the Pacific coast from Hokkaido down to Tokyo Bay. Officials warned that larger waves could still follow and urged immediate evacuation, saying: “If you wait until you see the tsunami, it will be too late.”

Tsunami alarms sounded in coastal towns and public broadcaster NHK showed residents in Hokkaido sheltering under tents on rooftops, while fishing boats left ports to ride out the waves offshore, according to Reuters.

It prompted manufacturers and retailers to temporarily close their plants and stores along Japan’s Pacific coast, Kyodo reported.

Nissan said it had halted production at three plants in Kanagawa and Fukushima prefectures, ordering employees at its Yokohama headquarters to move to the fifth floor or higher, while drinks maker Kirin Holdings halted operations at two breweries and a winery in Kanagawa and Miyagi prefectures. Sapporo Holdings also shut a brewery in Shizuoka prefecture.

  

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