Hours after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck near the Russian coast, becoming one of the strongest tremors ever recorded, tsunami waves arrived in Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast following efforts to get hundreds of thousands away from coastlines and to higher ground.

A tsunami warning has been issued for Hawaii, where waves set off by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Russia’s remote Far East are expected to arrive after 7 p.m. local time.

The entire U.S. West Coast was facing a tsunami threat after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake erupted off Russia's eastern coast on Tuesday. A tsunami warning was issued in Hawaii, Northern California and in Alaska,