After Chile, Tsunami Alert Prompts Evacuations in Japan

Tsunami waves continue to ripple across the Pacific Ocean, sparking evacuations in Japan after a powerful magnitude-8.3 earthquake struck just off the coast of Chile Wednesday evening, generating a dangerous 15-foot tsunami along parts of the Chilean coast. Chilean authorities said at least 12 people have died as a result of earthquake-related incidents, and officials continue to assess the damage as a flurry of aftershocks continues to rattle the South American country.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami advisory for the entire Pacific coast of the island nation at 3 a.m. local time Friday (2 p.m. EDT Thursday). The agency warned of non-damaging waves as high as 1 meter (3 feet).

Though a major tsunami is not expected, local officials have ordered evacuations for a number of low-lying coastal areas along the country’s Pacific coastline. At least 20,000 people are under those orders, though the population count was still being calculated for most of the evacuation zones. At least 126,000 people in other areas have been asked to voluntarily leave for higher ground.

The first reports of tsunami waves came from Iwate Prefecture around 6:20 a.m. local time Friday. By 7:30 a.m., tsunami waves as high as 0.4 meter (1.3 feet) had been reported at Kujikō in Iwate Prefecture as well as at Erimo on the northern island of Hokkaido.

The first tsunami waves struck Chile just minutes after the quake, and have since been fanning out across much of the Pacific Ocean. Outside of Chile, the highest observed tsunami waves have been in French Polynesia, a cluster of islands in the South Pacific; a 4.5-foot tsunami was reported at Nuku Hiva in that country’s Marquesas Islands at 7:33 a.m. U.S. EDT Thursday.

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Source:weather.com