CAP Aircrews Respond to Tsunami Warning in Hawaii

Civil Air Patrol broadcasts evacuation message after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, July 30, 2025 at 11:10 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The Civil Air Patrol operates the world’s largest fleet of piston aircraft, including hundreds of Cessna 182s. [Courtesy: Civil Air Patrol]

Key Takeaways:

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Kamchatka, Russia, triggered a tsunami warning across the West Coast, Russia, and Japan.
The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Hawaii Wing launched aircraft to broadcast evacuation warnings to vulnerable coastal areas, with waves over 5 feet reported in Hawaii.
Millions were evacuated in affected regions, including nearly 2 million people in Russia and Japan.
Warnings were downgraded to advisories by dawn Wednesday with no damage or injuries reported, though officials advised continued caution at beaches.

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If you are located on the West Coast and have an emergency app on your smartphone, you probably received the warning about a tsunami watch triggered by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Kamchatka, Russia, on Tuesday.

For the Civil Air Patrol Hawaii Wing, the warning put its members on alert and sent them to standby aircraft already in place on the Big Island, Kauai, Oahu, and Maui.