Tsunami alerts were issued for Alaska and Hawaii on Tuesday after a major, 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia, according to officials.

One of the most powerful earthquakes in modern history shook Russia’s remote east coast Wednesday, sending tsunami waves hurtling across the Pacific Ocean and putting nations from Japan to the United States to Chile on high alert with millions urged to evacuate.

One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded happened off the Russian coast, triggering tsunami warnings from the U.S. west coast to South America. In Hawaii, people clamored to the top of high-rises and a traffic rush headed away from the coast.

A small California coastal city near the border with Oregon that has recorded dozens of tsunamis, including one that killed 11 people more than 60 years ago, saw little damage Wednesday as locals returned to their routines amid sunny skies in the town known as a tsunami magnet.

Although most people promptly evacuated the iconic beach near Honolulu, others didn't heed the warnings of blaring tsunami sirens on Tuesday.