After that disaster, in 1949 the United States established the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), the first of its kind, to provide early warnings to populations around the Pacific. It was a visionary step, recognizing that natural hazards like tsunamis don’t respect borders — and that scientific knowledge could mitigate risk.

An 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck near Kamchatka, eastern Russia on July 30, prompting tsunami warnings across the North Pacific.