7.9 quake hits South Pacific, tsunami alert issued

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

According to the Pacific Tsuanami Warning center the earthquake was 8.3 not 7.9.



"APIA, Samoa – The U.S. Geological Survey says a powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake has struck in the South Pacific between Samoa and American Samoa. A tsunami alert has been issued for the region.

The temblor hit at 6:48 a.m. Tuesday (1748 GMT) midway between the two island groups. In the Samoan capital of Apia, families fled their homes amid severe shaking that lasted for up to three minutes. Local media reported people were fleeing to higher ground.

The USGS said the quake struck 20 miles (35 kilometers) below the ocean floor and was 120 miles (190 kilometers) from American Samoa and 125 miles (200 kilometers) from Samoa.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a general alert for the South Pacific region, from American Samoa to New Zealand."

7.9 quake hits South Pacific, tsunami alert issued - Yahoo! News

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Edit: according to German news, a Tsunami is happening. Apparently in New Zealand and Somoa the water is pulling back.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Another update:

10 foot Tsunami has hit Somoa. Fiji, New Zealand, American Somoa and Hawaii are also on alert. No reports yet of the destructiveness of it.

Lets hope everyone in these regions makes it out alright.

[B-17engineer]

Agreed. Doesn't Daniel, 109Roaming, live in New Zealand?

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Just reported on CNN there are now 3 Tsunamis that have developed.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Just another update. Reported on CNN that a 7.1 meter Tsunami has been generated near Samoa.

Tsunami could reach New Zealand in 45 minutes time and Hawaii in 1 hours and 45 minutes. Of course this is all speculative as well.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Looks like this one is not going to be that bad. Tsunami alarm has been lifted from Hawaii. Looks like besides one village being destroyed on Somoa it has only caused minimal damage.

This is only based off of preliminary reports however...

[evangilder]

CNN reports now that it was an 8.3 and it shook for 3 minutes! Wow, that's a long time in an earthquake!

[RabidAlien]

No kiddin....long time and a rough ride! Sounds like most folks would have had time after the earthquake to get away from the coastline and up into higher ground. We can hope and pray, at least...

[109ROAMING]

Said to hit my shores around midday

Heard islands north of NZ have taken a pretty bad hit

[RabidAlien]

Stay safe, bro.

ETA: Google News just posted 3 dead, 50 injured in Samoa. And so it starts....hopefully ends somewhere around here, and doesn't keep climbing....

[Erich]

keep us all posted brother - 109roaming

E ~

[109ROAMING]

Will do guys !

Just read this

The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management have issued a warning to New Zealand coasts due to a potential 1m high tsunami – stemming from the tsunami that struck American Samoa this morning. It is expected to hit some shorelines as early as 11:00am.

If you are in an area affected, or have family and friends in an area affected feel free to email in comments, photos and videos to noles@tv3.co.nz

The MOD says Northland, the Coromandel, the Bay of Plenty and the East Coast, north of Gisborne are areas of concern.

Residents in low-lying housing have been told to head to higher ground.

Tsunami warning sirens are sounding in coastal communities.

The Auckland City Council has also issued a warning to Waiheke and Great Barrier Island residents, telling them to head to higher ground.

The Waikato Region has issued an urgent warning to the West Coast, with Raglan, Kawhia and Mokau residents told to head to higher ground.

A powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific between Samoa and American Samoa around 6:48am NZT at a depth of 33 km, sending terrified residents fleeing for higher ground as a tsunami swept ashore, flattening at least one village.

The wave measured 1.5m – large enough to be considered dangerous - and a 0.7m wave struck Western Samoa according to spokesperson Nathan Becker.

Casualties in the south-east villages have been reported to 3 News by Fire Commissioner Tony Hill. Emergency teams have been sent to the area.

Three children have been “killed when the waves through” says Rua McCamey. They were school children in Falealili. The school buildings are now underwater.

“It was terrible,” says Mrs McCamey.

Aucklander Tua Saseve, Rua McCamey’s brother, says he is concerned for his relatives in Samoa after hearing that one person had died.

He says the coastal part of a village called Aufaga is under water.

Mr Saseve says he talked to his 80-year-old mother who thought it was the “worst earthquake she has ever felt”.

New Zealander Graeme Ansell said the beach village of Sau Sau Beach Fale was levelled.

"It was very quick. The whole village has been wiped out," Ansell told National Radio from a hill near Samoa's capital, Apia. "There's not a building standing. We've all clambered up hills, and one of our party has a broken leg. There will be people in a great lot of need 'round here."

A tsunami swept into Pago Pago, capital of American Samoa, shortly after the earthquake, sending sea water surging inland about 100m before receding, leaving some cars stuck in mud.

The staff of the port ran to higher ground, and police soon came by, telling residents to get inland.

In Fagatogo, water reached the waterfront town's meeting field and covered portions of the main highway, which also was plagued by rock slides.

In Samoa, the powerful quake jolted people awake.

"It was pretty strong; it was long and lasted at least two minutes," one resident told local radio.

"It's the strongest I have felt, and we ran outside. You could see all the trees and houses were shaking," he said.

Sulili Dusi told New Zealand's National Radio that "everything dropped on the floor and we thought the house was going to go down as well. Thank God, it didn't." Along with neighbours, they fled to high ground.

She said the tsunami hit the south side of the island, and some "cars have been taken." She did not elaborate, but added "we just thank God no life has been taken yet."

Another resident, Dean Phillips, said the southern coast of Upolu island had been struck by the tsunami.

"The police are sending everybody up to high ground," he said.

Local media said they had reports of some landslides in the Solosolo region of the main Samoan island of Upolu and damage to plantations in the countryside outside Apia.

A warning has been issued by The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre for American Samoa, Samoa, Niue, Wallis-Futuna, Tokelau, Cook Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Kermadec Islands, Fiji, Howland-Baker, Jarvis Island, French Polynesia, Palmyra Islands and New Zealand.

The Ministry of Defence is working to assess the threat level in New Zealand.

Watch American Samoa resident Rua McCamey's interview here.
Watch the SKY News interview with Stuart Weinstein of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre

http://www.3news.co.nz/Samoa-Tsunami...7/Default.aspx

[109ROAMING]

An update

Tsunami warning downgraded in New Zealand Was expecting something like this , Seems RA's right - the real danger's further north

3 News > Home > Story > Tsunami warning downgraded in New Zealand

New Zealand’s tsunami warning has been downgraded by the Ministry of Civil Defence, following widespread caution across New Zealand coastal areas after this mornings 8.3 magnitude quake off Samoa.

The wave was initially said to be as big as 1-1.5 m but coastal sensors detected the first tsunami wave to be 40cm, authorities say.

A motelier in the East Cape town of Hicks Bay says locals have gathered at her motel ahead of a tsunami expected to hit the area this morning.

A wave up to a metre high was expected to hit New Zealand's East Cape about 10am following a huge earthquake off the coast of American Samoa at 6.48am (NZT).

Jody Anderson said locals had come up to the motel she owned with her husband, which was on the bluff overlooking the bay, and sitting on an outside deck to see the tsunami - but there had been no sign yet.

"People are still in the shop buying teas and coffees and photos and bread and milk, a few basics but not too much," she said.

"I think I'm the only one panicked. The locals aren't panicked at all."

Gisborne freelance photojournalist Diana Dobson was among residents who moved to higher ground this morning, along with her mother and seven-year-old daughter.

But as she drove her mother from her beachfront property, she said they passed the beach car-park, where half a dozen cars were parked with occupants watching and waiting for a tsunami to arrive.

"It's low tide and the sea looks almost glassy," she told NZPA.

Gisborne District Council advised at 10.16am that no waves had been reported at Te Araroa, 10km southeast of Hicks Bay, or anywhere else on the East Coast.

Senior Constable Ray Dever of Tolaga Bay, about 50km northeast of Gisborne, said he started the East Coast town's evacuation plan until the tsunami alert was downgraded.

"We have a fairly comprehensive plan and earlier on we were evacuating elderly residents and others not that mobile," he told NZPA.

"Then the situation was downgraded to a metre surge and that is only really a concern for people on the beach and lower reaches of the river mouth. So I've told people if they want to go they can go, or they can stay put.

"It is dead low tide so there's probably a little bit more margin than if there's a metre wave on top of high tide."

Mr Dever said Tolaga Bay was at extreme risk in the event of a big tsunami because it was low-lying and also had a river behind the township.

He said people had been evacuated from other townships in the area, including Tokomaru Bay.

Civil Defence operations manager David Coetzee told Radio New Zealand if a tsunami occurred, people may see the sea receding before the first wave arrived.

There would be more than one wave, which could be spread over several hours, so people should not return to the beach after the first wave, he said.

People in small boats or near beaches were the most likely to be affected by a tsunami.

Coromandel and Waikato residents had been advised by Civil Defence to move to higher ground immediately, while other regions had emergency plans in place.

It was reported villages in Samoa were flattened following the quake, which measured 8.3 on the Richter scale and reportedly lasted at least a minute.

The quake was reported to have killed up to five people in Samoa and sent a tsunami heading south towards New Zealand.

New Zealand Deputy High Commissioner in Samoa, David Dolphin, said there had been reports of six to eight metre waves on the southern coast of Samoa.

"There are reports of some quite serious damage, at least five fatalities and quite a few reports of people missing," he told NZPA.

There are also reports of deaths in American Samoa but a US official was unable to confirm numbers.

The earthquake, at a depth of 35km, was centred 205km south of the Samoan capital of Apia, and 2685km northeast of Auckland.

NZPA

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

They are reporting that the wave has hit NZ, but that it was only 40cm and the tide was out.

There are going to be some deaths out in the Islands and some destruction, but this will be nothing like what happened back in 2004.