A tsunami warning for Okinawa Prefecture was issued Wednesday morning after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Taiwan, with waves of up to 3 meters for some islands forecast, as residents were strongly urged to evacuate coastal areas.
A tsunami of at least 30 centimeters had already reached Yonaguni Island, some 110 kilometers (70 miles) from Taiwan, where the quake — which registered between a 3 and 4 on the 7-point Japanese shindo seismic intensity scale — rocked the area.
There was a likelihood that higher waves could reach the coast earlier or later than forecast, and residents were advised to move to higher ground, with a large banner on NHK urging viewers to “Evacuate! Run!”
Waves also reached Ishigaki Island as of 9:32 a.m., though it was not immediately clear how high those were.
The tsunami had been forecast to reach the islands of Iriomote and Ishigaki around 9:30 a.m., and Miyakojima and the main island of Okinawa around 10 a.m., according to NHK. The waves were expected to reach Naha Harbor, Kumejima and Nanjo at 10:10 a.m., and Nakagusuku Bay Port by 10:20 a.m.
There is also a high likelihood that waves rush to the shore multiple times with the height increasing suddenly. Residents have been warned to have a sense of urgency given that the tsunami during the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake also began with waves that were just a couple of centimeters high.
The Prime Minister’s Office has set up a government liaison office over the quake and tsunami, which struck at 8:58 a.m. off the eastern coast of Taiwan, with early reports by the Meteorological Agency indicating that it was very shallow. The agency was set to hold a news conference at 10:30 a.m. that will also be livestreamed via its official YouTube channel.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake as originating 18 kilometers south southwest of Hualien, Taiwan, at a depth of 34.8 km.
Since the earthquake occurred some distance from the Okinawan islands, some residents may not have noticed the temblor, though residents have also been urged to evacuate nonetheless, since the tsunami could still reach those areas.
Given that Okinawa is a tourism hub, and many visitors — both foreign and domestic alike — are unfamiliar with the area and tsunami protocol, Okinawa residents are being asked to help them evacuate, if necessary.
People have been warned to evacuate without vehicles to avoid causing traffic jams that could slow the process. Those in vehicles have been asked to park their cars on the left side of the street and leave them behind.
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