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.

Thousands in Hawaii are evacuating coastal areas after an 8.7 magnitude earthquake near eastern Russia triggered a statewide tsunami warning. Social media shows heavy traffic in Oahu and Honolulu as people move inland.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says the earthquake struck at 1:25 p.m. HST off the east coast of Kamchatka.