A tsunami warning for the Fukushima prefecture has been issued in Japan, after an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale hit the region.
strong Update, 1:56 PM EST: The tsunami warning in Japan has been updated to cover a different area:
#Japan Pacific coast #tsunami alert zone now covers coast along Iwate, Fuksuhima, Ibaraki and part of Chiba prefectures.
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) October 25, 2013
An initial report about the late-night quake indicates that Japan’s emergency agencies have issued a tsunami warning for the area affected, and that the tremor registered at 3:10 AM Tokyo time on Saturday, per the the USGS. Residents in Tokyo, 300 miles away from the epicenter, reportedly felt the quake as well.
Information about the Fukushima tsunami morning is mainly coming from frantic retweets about the possibility of a post-earthquake event of severe magnitude, and most advisory services are tweeting out warnings:
#BREAKING : Magnitude 7.3 #earthquake off the coast of #Fukushima Prefecture, Japan Authorities expect a 1-meter #tsunami by 12:40pm CT.-NBC
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) October 25, 2013
Magnitude 7.3 earthquake reported off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan; tsunami advisory issued – @weatherchannel
— Breaking News (@BreakingNews) October 25, 2013
Tsunami alarm limited to Fukushima pref for now. 1 meter. will strike around 2.40AM (forecast). 20 minutes from now.
— Wouter van Cleef (@WvanCleef) October 25, 2013
UPDATE: Japanese authorities revise quake magnitude down from 7.3 to 6.8. Still, tsunami advisory for coast of Fukushima Prefecture.
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) October 25, 2013
BREAKING NEWS: TSUNAMI ADVISORY ISSUED FOR FUKUSHIMA COAST FOLLOWING POWERFUL MAGNITUDE 7.5 EARTHQUAKE. SHARE!
— Operator (@911BUFF) October 25, 2013
“Yellow” warning of 1-meter tsunami issued for Fukushima region, due to hit coast in 10 minutes: Japanese weather agency
— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) October 25, 2013
The shaking from the quake reportedly lasted for a full minute, and workers near Fukushima have since been ordered to evacuate the area.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) indicated that the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima Prefecture had not sustained any “fresh damage” after the “ strong earthquake ,” adding that “no spike in radiation [had been] detected at Fukushima” following the tremor.
Twitter users expressed skepticism at the claim:
How would @TEPCO_Nuclear know there was “no new damage” from earthquake 3 minutes after it happened? #fukushima
— G Todd Williams (@WA_News_Junkie) October 25, 2013
The official tsunami warning out of Japan’s weather service, issued at 2:16 AM Tokyo time, read :
“Marine threat is in place… Get out of the water and leave the coast immediately… As the strong current will continue, do not get in the sea or approach coasts until the advisory is cleared.”
The tsunami warning for the Fukushima prefecture is rated at yellow, but no coastal activity has yet been observed. The warning has not yet been lifted.
