MikeLigalig.com

Tsunami hits Hawaii after Canada quake

By Walter Wright
AFP News
28 October 2012

A potentially destructive Pacific tsunami hit Hawaii Sunday after a powerful earthquake struck off the west coast of Canada, triggering calls for urgent action to protect lives as sirens wailed across the archipelago.

"The tsunami is arriving right now," Gerard Fryer, a senior geophysicist with the center, told reporters. "It is coming in as we speak."

Countless Halloween parties were interrupted, restaurants and bars emptied, and highways quickly filled with cars heading away from beach areas.

Television images from the island of Oahu showed relatively small waves peacefully rolling toward shore.

But Fryer urged Hawaii residents not to be deceived by appearances.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=56152.0

Hawaii tsunami warning lifted after 100,000 flee to higher ground

By Jorene Barut and Suzanne Roig
Reuters
28 October 2012

 HONOLULU (Reuters) - A tsunami warning prompted by a powerful earthquake off the Canadian coast sent at least 100,000 people fleeing from shore to higher ground in Hawaii late on Saturday, but an evacuation order was canceled after a series of weaker-than-expected waves rolled through the islands.

The warning was downgraded to an advisory - a lower-level alert - shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday (1100 GMT), though state civil defense authorities said beaches and harbors would remain closed for the time being, and residents were urged to stay away from the water.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, serious flooding or damage, but officials warned that abrupt changes in sea level and strong currents could still pose a hazard to swimmers and boaters.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=56152.0

Tsunami warning sirens began blaring across the islands at about 8 p.m. as state officials ordered a coastal evacuation, prompting a mass exodus that clogged roadways as motorists fled low-lying areas.

As the forecast arrival time of the tsunami neared, Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle announced that all police and emergency personnel were being pulled out from potential flood zones, leaving anyone defying evacuation orders to fend for themselves.  He also urged motorists who remained caught in harm's way due to gridlocked roads to abandon their vehicles and proceed on foot.

"If you are stuck in traffic, you might consider getting out of your car and consider walking to higher ground.  You will have to assess your own situation, depending on where you are right now.  Right now it is critical," he said.

more at h.news.yahoo.com/tsunami-warning-issued-hawaii-british-columbia-quake-074311456.html

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=56152.0