Land movers build up a sand berm to protect homes along the Peninsula from getting flooded as the remnants of Tropical Storm Kay hit Long Beach on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.

UPDATE: The tsunami advisory has been lifted for Long Beach and Los Angeles County. At their height around 3:15 a.m., coastal waters in the Long Beach and Los Angeles harbor area rose about half a foot above the tide level, according to the National Weather Service.

A city spokesperson said Wednesday afternoon there were “no significant reports of damage or injuries,” and the beaches and harbors had reopened.

PREVIOUSLY: The National Weather Service has issued a tsunami advisory for the Southern California coast after an 8.8 earthquake hit eastern Russia this afternoon.

The advisory is one level lower than a “warning,” the NWS’s highest tsunami alert level. It cautioned that dangerous waves and tides could begin hitting Long Beach and the Los Angeles harbor area around 1 a.m. Wednesday.

As of 9:30 p.m., the impact was forecast to be less than 1 foot above the normal tide level. Coastal waters were already forecast to hit peak tides around 12:20 a.m., shortly before the tsunami may hit, raising the possibility of limited flooding and damage.

NWS officials said they do not expect widespread inundation, but they advised people to stay off the beach and well away from the water.

“Tsunamis typically arrive as a series of waves, which can be dangerous for MANY hours after the first wave,” the NWS said in a social media post. “The first tsunami wave may not be the highest in the series.”

Each wave could last 5 to 45 minutes as it arrives and then slowly recedes, according to the NWS, and it may not look like a wave at all.

“The tsunami may appear as water moving rapidly out to sea, a gentle rising tide like [a] flood with no breaking wave, as a series of breaking waves, or a frothy wall of water,” the agency said.

Long Beach has not issued any evacuation warnings. As of 10 p.m., the city had closed all its beaches. Officials are posting local updates and resources at longbeach.gov/emergency. They also asked people to sign up for alerts in case the need arises for emergency notifications.

For the latest forecast, visit tsunami.gov.

How to prepare

The NWS gave this advice for anyone in an area under a tsunami advisory:

  • Move out of the water, off the beach, and away from harbors, marinas, breakwaters, bays and inlets.
  • Be alert to and follow instructions from your local emergency officials because they may have more detailed or specific information for your location.
  • If you feel a strong earthquake or extended ground rolling, take immediate protective actions such as moving inland and/or uphill, preferably by foot.
  • Boat operators: Where time and conditions permit, move your boat out to sea to a depth of at least 180 feet. If at sea, avoid entering shallow water, harbors, marinas, bays, and inlets to avoid floating and submerged debris and strong currents. (City officials advised people to secure their vessels in Alamitos Bay, Shoreline Marina and Rainbow Harbor “if it’s safe to do so, but do not return to your boat if you are not already there.”)
  • Do not go to the shore to observe the tsunami.

Jeremiah Dobruck is executive editor of the Long Beach Post where he oversees all day-to-day newsroom operations. In his time working as a journalist in Long Beach, he’s won numerous awards for his investigative reporting and editing. Before coming to the Post in 2018, he wrote for publications including the Press-Telegram, Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times. Reach him at [email protected] or @jeremiahdobruck on Twitter.