Taipei: Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) was activated Wednesday for the first time in response to a tsunami, following a magnitude-8.8 earthquake off the coast of Russia that posed a threat to the island nation.

According to Focus Taiwan, the CEOC held its initial work and intelligence assessment meeting at noon, subsequent to a tsunami warning issued by Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) earlier in the day. In preparation for potential impacts, the CEOC has placed a total of 23 rescue aircraft and 14 naval vessels on standby.

Local governments have mobilized coast guard personnel to warn the public to avoid coastal areas and to conduct safety checks at fishing harbors. The National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) indicated that possible tsunami flooding could affect coastal regions in Chiayi County, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County, New Taipei, Yilan County, and Hualien County. Simulation models from the NCDR estimate potential overflow depths of approximately 0.3 meters in these areas.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) reported that the Taiwan Fisheries Agency has directed broadcast stations to increase the frequency of warnings for vessels operating nearby. Additionally, the fisheries monitoring center is tasked with notifying distant-water vessels in the North Pacific to enhance their readiness.

While wave heights near Taiwan are currently expected to remain under one meter, posing minimal risk to fisheries, the MOA remains vigilant. Deputy Minister of the Interior Dong Jian-hong, also deputy commander of the CEOC, stressed that evacuation alerts are primarily for coastal areas rather than the entire country. Dong urged offshore islands to be particularly cautious of wave impacts and instructed the Coast Guard Administration and Taiwan Fisheries Agency to intensify coastal patrols and vessel protection initiatives.