Residents of Guam and the CNMI are being warned to stay away from coastal areas after a tsunami advisory was issued for the region.
Potential wave impacts could be 1-3 feet in coastal areas, with strong currents.
“The guidance is remain out of the water,” Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense spokesperson Jenna Blas said Wednesday. “If in a coastal area, get to higher ground, at least 100 feet inland and 50 feet up.”
Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan “face a threat of sea level fluctuations and strong ocean currents that could be hazardous along beaches, in harbors, and in coastal waters,” Civil Defense officials said in the advisory.
The advisory followed an 8.7 magnitude earthquake Wednesday morning southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia. The earliest estimated time that hazardous conditions could reach the area was 2:37 p.m.
For information about evacuation zones, visit tsunami.coast.noaa.gov, select "Guam" and zoom into your area.
The Port Authority of Guam suspended all operations from 1 to 3 p.m., including gatehouse and terminal yard operations.
Port staff were securing all critical safety protocols, including the tie-down of the three gantry cranes. Port Police were notifying marina users and tenants in the Hagatna boat basin, the Agat Marina, Harbor of Refuge and Family Beach.
Guam Power Authority and Guam Waterworks Authority Hagåtña Julale Customer Service Offices closed at noon.
District Court of Guam and the Judiciary of Guam closed at noon. Banks and other businesses also closed.
