A powerful earthquake that measured 7.6 hit the central Japanese coast at Ishikawa at about 4 p.m. local time, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. There were also more than a dozen smaller quakes, 

The agency issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast on the island of Honshu.

People in the area were told to seek higher ground in anticipation of the wavss that they estimate might be up to 17 feet tall, according to the broadcaster from NHK TV.

Smaller tsunami waves of about four feet were already hitting the area. 

According to Reuters, officials later downgraded the major tsunami warning, but they warned that the waves could still reach up to ten feet. That had been the first such major warning since the March 2011 tsunami that wreaked so much havoc in the country. 

Russia also announced tsunami warnings for its cities of Vladivostok and Nakhodka.

The total extent of the damage isn't clear yet, and officials are assessing the situation, a government spokesperson said, 

Roads buckled, some houses and buildings were destroyed. There were at least 30 buildings that collapsed in Wajima. More than 36,000 are also now without power in the affected areas in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures. Internet and phone was also disrupted, and the bullet train and planes into the area were suspended. 

Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighborhood. Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement. 

Some people sustained minor injuries when they tripped and fell while fleeing, or objects fell off shelves and hit them, according to NHK. 

Bullet trains in the area were halted, although some parts of the service were restored by evening. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren’t working.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned residents to prepare for more and "stay on alert" and for those in tsunami areas to evacuate. They didn't mince words in telling this people to get out, flashing "Run!" across television screens in bright yellow, to tell them to leave. Meterologists warned there could be more quakes coming and the tsunami waves might continue for a time. 

While there is at least one nuclear plant in the area they said that didn't appear to have been affected by the quake. 

But there was a major fire in Wajima caused by the quake.

1,000 military personnel have been deployed to help rescue and recovery efforts, the country's defense minister has said.

Minoru Kihara said some of th members of the country's Self-Defense Forces have already made it into th affected areas of Wajima and Suzu, and that another 8,500 were ready to be deployed, if needed. 

Fortunately, it sounds like the bigger tsunami predicted didn't happen, but there's still going to be a lot to have to deal with as they try to help people and make sure everyone is safe.