The state of Hawaii is one of the more tsunami susceptible spots in the world, thanks to its remote location in the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by the infamous seismic activity known as the "ring of fire." So it wasn't a great surprise to see the tsunami warnings arrive after the massive 8.8 magnitude earthquakeoff Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on July 29. Tsunami waves can arrive in the islands from any location around the ocean, including Russia, South America and Alaska and the Aleutian Islands,according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. On average, Hawaii experiences destructive tsunamis about once every 11 years. The earliest historical accounts emerge from oral histories of the islands, includinga 16th century chantabout a wave that struck the coast of Molokai'i. On Dec. 21, 1812, a wave arrived at Ho'okena on the west coast of the Big Island and became the first recorded tsunami event, NOAA said. Since then, more than 160 tsunamis have been confirmed in the Hawaiian Islands, according to NOAA and other scientific papers. Nine of those tsunamis have caused 294 deaths and more than $625 million in damages. Today modern scientistsstudy corals in the regionto document previous tsunamis. Among the major tsunamis (and the magnitude and location of earthquakes that generated them): April 1, 1946,an 8.6 event in the Aleutian Islands, claimed 159 lives November 4, 1952, a 9.0 event at Kamchatka, Russia that causedan estimated $1 million damage in Hawaii March 9, 1957,a 9.1 event in the Aleutian Islands May 22, 1960, a9.5 event in Chile, claimed 61 lives, and remains the world's most powerful earthquake in modern records. March 28, 1964, a 9.2 event at Alaska. The massive undersea earthquake off Japan in 2011 caused a tsunami that extensively damaged three hotels at Kona on the west side of the Big Island, causing an estimated $14 million in damages, the weather service reported. But there were no reports of serious injuries. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Has Hawaii been hit with a tsunami before? Yes, many times.