Washington - Saba:
Countries in the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding region continue to prepare for the possibility of a tsunami, following the powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the eastern coast of Russia.
Reports on Wednesday indicated that some coastal areas have already begun to record the arrival of the first tsunami waves, while it is not yet clear how many countries may be affected or how strong the waves will be.
CNN quoted tsunami warning centers in the United States as saying that estimates indicate that the first waves will reach the West Aleutian Islands in Alaska, which has heightened the alert level in several countries across the Pacific Ocean.The tsunami is also expected to reach Kodiak, Alaska, around 12:20 a.m. EST.
The tsunami is expected to reach southeastern Alaska around 12:45-1:55 a.m. EST.
The tsunami is expected to reach Hawaii around 1:15 a.m. EST.
The tsunami is expected to reach Washington and Oregon between 2:35 and 2:55 a.m. EST.
The tsunami is expected to reach Northern California at 2:50 a.m. EST, San Francisco Bay around 3:40 a.m. EST, and the coast of Southern California around 4 a.m. EST.
This is the strongest earthquake on Earth since 2011, when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Japan, and the sixth-strongest earthquake ever recorded.