Earthly defeat: the danger of new aftershocks and tsunamis in Kamchatka will remain for a month

Aftershocks — repeated seismic tremors — after an earthquake in Kamchatka can occur for several days or even a month, scientists believe. And this, in turn, can cause repeated tsunamis. During July 30, about 2.5 thousand people were evacuated to the Kuril Islands, primarily from the North Kuril region, where an emergency regime was introduced. However, by the evening of the same day, representatives of local authorities and the Ministry of Emergency Situations announced that the threat of a tsunami in the entire Far East had been lifted. Countries with access to the Pacific Ocean were also preparing for the arrival of the high wave. In Japan, more than 2 million residents were evacuated from coastal areas. The tsunami — however, not destructively strong — reached the coast of the USA. What consequences the earthquake caused and how to eliminate them are described in the Izvestia article.

The most powerful earthquake since 1952

Aftershocks after the earthquake in Kamchatka, which occurred on July 30, will definitely continue — they should be expected for several more days, but possibly for a month, Danila Chebrov, director of the Kamchatka branch of the Federal Research Center United Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.

"They can be strong and cause a second tsunami," he said. — Despite the magnitude of the earthquake, its effects, as well as the effects of the tsunami caused by it, turned out to be surprisingly weak. Therefore, we can say that the population was lucky.

This earthquake was the strongest since 1952, according to the Federal Research Center "Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences."

"The magnitude, according to various estimates, reaches 8.7. The effects of repeated seismic tremors will be felt for at least a month," the organization's Telegram channel reported.

The earthquake was very strong, and its source stretched for about 300 kilometers — from the southern part of the Shipun Peninsula (one of the large peninsulas located on the Pacific coast of Kamchatka) along the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, almost to Cape Lopatka (the southernmost point of the peninsula), said Danila Chebrov.

— The epicenter was located about 90 kilometers from the coast, near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The fault itself is about two kilometers wide and is one of the most powerful on the planet," the expert added.

Aftershocks with a magnitude of up to 7.5 and a tsunami caused by them are expected on the coast of the Avacha Bay in the near future, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Kamchatka Territory warned in a Telegram channel.

However, representatives of the regional Ministry of Emergency Situations stated on social networks that the threat of a tsunami had been lifted in the Kamchatka Territory and the North Kuril Region. And Alexey Belik, chairman of the government of the Sakhalin Region, said that "the threat of a tsunami has been lifted from the Kuril and South Kuril urban districts."

After the earthquake, several tsunami waves passed in the Far East. At the observation point of the Vodopadnaya weather station in the Yelizovsky district of Kamchatka, a wave with a height of three to four meters was recorded.

Three more collapsed on the territory of the coastal zone of Severo-Kurilsk in the Sakhalin region. There was no serious damage, about 2.5 thousand residents were evacuated, the government of the Sakhalin region reported. An emergency regime has been introduced in the North Kuril region.

"Residents remain safe on high ground until the threat of repeated waves is completely lifted," said the head of the region, Valery Limarenko, on the Telegram channel.

An emergency mode was also introduced in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

What the eyewitnesses said

As a result of the tremors in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the wall of one of the kindergartens collapsed — no one was there at the time of the incident, said Vladimir Solodov, Governor of the Kamchatka Territory, in his Telegram channel.

Minor damage was recorded in several other buildings: plaster crumbled, cracks formed, elevators stopped working, said Yevgeny Belyaev, Mayor of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

A woman was injured during the earthquake at Yelizovo airport (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky). Doctors assess her condition as satisfactory, the Ministry of Health of the region reported. In addition, at least three local residents were injured, including one child, a source told Izvestia. Two of them were hospitalized with minor injuries.

— It was shaking very hard, the third floor was shaking. I was born in Kamchatka, but this is the first time I've seen such a strong earthquake in my life," Karina, an airport employee, told Izvestia.

The seller Svetlana said that during the tremors, goods fell from the shelves and broke, and customers ran out into the street in a panic.

— There was a strong rumble, we started shaking. But the store continued to work: customers went shopping and shopping, collecting large baskets. And then they left the city to sit out," the woman said.

Although geophysicists claim that the day's tremor in Kamchatka was the strongest, and such a thing will not happen again, people are still afraid. Some leave for dachas outside the city, while others have settled in tents in the city park.

"We live on the fifth floor, you can't jump off or run away from there, so we had to buy a tent," local resident Yana told Izvestia. — I'm terrified of earthquakes, I've been shaking for a long time, everyone was screaming. Thanks to the boy who came up to our floor, began to take people out and carried my child out. It is not known how long we will live in the tent.

Temporary accommodation facilities have been set up in the Kamchatka Territory for residents who are afraid to stay in their homes after the earthquake, the press service of the regional government reported.

The capacity of such temporary accommodation facilities is 560 people, Alexander Klemenko, Deputy Director for Civil Defense and Emergency Situations of the Kamchatka Regional Emergency Management Center, told Izvestia.

— About a hundred people have arrived and are accommodated here. In general, people come to see and understand where they need to stay in case of a repeat earthquake," he explained.

Ninel Vasilyeva, a pensioner who has been living in Kamchatka since 1979, noted that the staff of the Ministry of Emergency Situations organized the evacuation very quickly. According to her, the temporary accommodation facility is "habitable and looks like a village, because everyone knows each other."

After the earthquake, residents of the Kamchatka Territory began to seek medical help 1.5 times more often than usual during this time period, according to a message posted on the official website of the executive authorities of the region. They noted that patients mostly complain of panic attacks and heart problems. Vladimir Solodov instructed the regional Ministry of Health to switch to an enhanced mode of operation.

During the earthquake in Kamchatka, doctors at one of the hospitals did not interrupt the operation, despite the fear and strong shaking.

— There was no thought of running away somewhere. Our anesthesiologist here held all the equipment with his hands so that it would not fall anywhere," oncologist Lyubov Tsyplakova told Izvestia.

And there were no tremors in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the Izvestia correspondent reported from the scene.

— The city is calm, the emergency occurred in the North Kuril region, which is far from the regional center, — said the journalist. — The weather is cloudy, but there are no rains or any thunderstorms. Planes land and take off, there are no restrictions.

What the tourists experienced

There may be 7-8 thousand tourists in Kamchatka now, Artur Abdyukhanov, head of the press service of the Russian Union of Tourism Industry, told Izvestia.

— Tour operators do not observe cancellations of tours to Kamchatka. There is no drop in bookings, and there are no refunds either," he said. — It is now known that the port in Severo-Kurilsk has been damaged, and tours there may be canceled until the infrastructure is fully restored.

According to the expert, due to increased seismic activity in the region, restrictions have been imposed on visits to nature parks and a number of tourist routes.

Elena Podubnaya, a member of the expedition of the Russian Geographical Society "Eastern Bastion — Kuril Ridge", told Izvestia that the tsunami overtook a group of tourists during a hike on Shumshu Island.

— I grew up in Kamchatka myself, and I don't remember such strong tremors. We took passports, phones, cameras, and everything we needed. We went to a height and watched from above as the first wave washed away our camp," the tourist shared.

According to her, the staff of the Ministry of Emergency Situations promptly evacuated people, provided them with food and overnight accommodation.

The disaster also overtook the participants of the RGS expedition — their camp was washed away by a four-meter tsunami wave. 30 people were temporarily housed in a military-patriotic camp on the island of Shumshu.

Among them was Sakhalin scientist and local historian, Igor Samarin, head of the scientific department of the Pobeda Museum and Memorial Complex.

— The earthquake started around 10.30 a.m. Sakhalin time. Dishes and shell casings were falling off the shelves — everything that was found during the search," he told Izvestia. — Heavy things were falling. It lasted about a minute and a half, then it began to subside. Half an hour later, everyone was given the task to evacuate, about 150 people were taken out by the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Sergei Maslennikov, senior researcher at the A.V. Zhirmunsky Research Center for Marine Biology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, head of the Center for Aquaculture and Coastal Bioresources, is confident that there will be no great dangers for nature due to the earthquake.

— The speed of the tsunami wave is quite weak, so ordinary storms pose a much greater threat to marine life. As for the pollution caused by flushing, it also does not pose a great danger due to the great depths. Such washouts are just a drop in the ocean," the expert explained.

According to him, the threat of a tsunami was also not great for land dwellers, because the wave was coming rather slowly, and the animals managed to retreat.

After the earthquake, Klyuchevsky volcano erupted in Kamchatka, the press service of the Kamchatka branch of the Federal Research Center "Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences" reported. A descent of red-hot lava was observed on the western slope, explosions were heard.

Pacific countries face the threat of a tsunami

Following the earthquake in Kamchatka, many countries with access to the Pacific Ocean faced the threat of a tsunami. High waves have already reached the coast of the US states of Washington, California and Oregon. The authorities of the state of Hawaii urged residents to leave the beaches and evacuate to areas located on higher ground, or stay at least on the fourth floors of buildings. Flights of several airlines to Hawaii were suspended.

The tsunami threat in Japan is of particular concern. In the past, a similar situation, but with more powerful cataclysms, caused a man-made disaster due to the failed Fukushima nuclear power plant. Currently, the instructions from the authorities correspond to the fourth level of danger out of five possible ones: more than 2 million people in 117 cities have been evacuated. A 1.3 m high tsunami has already reached the shores of 22 of Japan's 47 prefectures.

Some island states, including Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, are also preparing for possible disasters. Evacuation was also announced in five provinces of Indonesia.

In Taiwan, 23 rescue aircraft and 14 warships were put on alert. According to preliminary data, flooding could potentially affect the coastal territories of five counties.

Latin American countries are also preparing for a potential tsunami. Strong currents and waves are expected in the Colombian regions of Narinho and Choco. In Ecuador, it is believed that the waves in the island zone of the country will reach up to one and a half meters. Similar warnings were also issued in Mexico and Panama.

The tsunami threatens even Europe, although for now we are talking about overseas territories. Residents of French Polynesia and the Marquesas Islands were urged to prepare for evacuation and protection of valuable property. The Republic's armed forces based in French Polynesia were also put on high alert. If necessary, they will assist with search and rescue operations.