Earthquake today: 7.6 magnitude quake shakes Caribbean southwest of Cayman Islands, tsunami warnings issued

Earthquake today: An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter magnitude scale hit the Caribbean Sea southwest of Cayman Islands at 6.23 pm on February 8, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), AP reported.

People living near the coastline of some Caribbean islands and Honduras have thus been urged to move further inland or avoid going to the beaches amid the potential threat for a tsunami, the report added.

Notably, this marks the biggest earthquake in the region, since Haiti was hit by a 7.2 magnitude quake in 2021, according to a statement by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Reuters reported.

About the Caribbean Cayman Islands Earthquake

The 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck at 6.23 pm local time in the middle of the sea and had a depth of 10 kilometers, as per the USGS data. The quake's epicenter was located 209 kilometers south-southwest of George Town in the Cayman Islands, the AP report said.

Where Are Tsunami Warnings Issued?

• According to the United States National Tsunami Warning Center, there is no tsunami alert for the mainland United States. However, a tsunami advisory has been issued for the regions of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, AP reported.
• Further, the government of the Cayman Islands has issued a tsunami threat alert. It said on its official social media channels that its “residents living near the coastline are encouraged to move inland.”
• And in Honduras, authorities said are no immediate reports of damages, but urged its residents to stay away from beaches in the next few hours, according to local media, as reported by AP.
• According to the International Tsunami Information Center, “hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within the next three hours along some coasts…”
• These coasts include the following: Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, Honduras, Bahamas, Haiti, Turks and Caicos, San Andres Providence, Belize, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, the US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands and Saba.

• The Hazard Management Cayman Islands urged residents near the coast to move inland and to higher ground. It said wave heights of 0.3 to 1 meter are expected, it added.
• Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González Colón in a statement said she is in contact with emergency agencies after the tsunami advisory, but did not recommend anyone to leave the coast.
• The Dominican government also issued a tsunami alert and recommended residents on the coast to move to high areas “of more than 20 meters of altitude and 2 kilometers inland.” It also urged ships to steer away or avoid entering the sea for the next few hours.
• The Cuban government requested people to leave beachfront areas.
• According to NOAA, “tsunami waves reaching 1 to 3 meters above the tide level are possible along some coasts of Cuba.”
• It added waves between 0.3 and 1 meter above the tide level are possible for some coasts of Honduras and Cayman Islands. “Actual amplitudes at the coast may vary from forecast amplitudes due to uncertainties in the forecast and local features,” the NOAA said in a report.

(With inputs from AP)