A tsunami alert has been issued for Hawaii, Japan, Alaska, the Philippines, and many of the small islands south of the Russian epicenter.

(Reuters) -A magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, damaging buildings and generating a tsunami of up to 4 metres (13 feet) that prompted warnings and evacuations stretching across the Pacific Ocean.

A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia on Tuesday, sparking tsunami warnings -- and evacuations -- in Hawaii and alerts for other areas of the U.S. West Coast. In a message posted on social media, President Donald Trump urged people to "STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE" and to monitor updates on the tsunami.gov online dashboard.