The earthquake that struck off the coast of Russia late Tuesday registered 8.8 on the Richter scale and ensuing tsunami has raised concerns that the Pentagon could be caught unawares by a natural disaster in a region where thousands of U.

The tsunami evacuation orders were lifted already in Hawaii. Officials there prepared for the worst, because tsunamis can be catastrophic.

Officials in Hawaii said the risk of a major tsunami had passed. The first waves began hitting the U.S. West Coast after an 8.8-magnitude quake off Russia’s coast put a swath of Pacific nations on alert.