Tonga earthquake triggers tsunami threatening Tonga, Samoa and Fiji

[kestrel91316]

Source: Telegraph UK

The quake, which hit at 6.17 am local time (1817 GMT), was centred 130 miles south-southeast of the Tongan capital Nuku'Alofa and 300 miles southeast of Ndoi Island, Fiji.

It struck at a depth of 6.2 miles, the US Geological Survey said.

A tsunami warning was issued by the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre for Tonga, Niue, Kermadec Islands, American Samoa, Samoa and Fiji.

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicentre within minutes to hours. Authorities in the region should take appropriate action in response to this possibility," the centre said.


Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/tongafrenchpolynesia/5018726/Tonga-earthquake-triggers-tsunami-threatening-Tonga-Samoa-and-Fiji.html

---

Be safe, island peoples.

[Mrs. Overall]

1. Hawaii has been added as a possible impact zone:

Stay safe, Hawaii DUers!

SUBJECT - TSUNAMI WATCH

A TSUNAMI WATCH IS ISSUED FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII EFFECTIVE AT
0805 AM HST.

EVALUATION

BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A TSUNAMI MAY HAVE BEEN GENERATED BY
THIS EARTHQUAKE THAT COULD BE DESTRUCTIVE ON COASTAL AREAS EVEN
FAR FROM THE EPICENTER. AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY TO DETERMINE
IF THERE IS A TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.

IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THE ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL OF
THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS

0111 PM HST TUE 29 SEP 2009

MESSAGES WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.

[No Elephants]

2. I feel so helpless. I can't even imagine how they feel.

[Better Believe It]

3. An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck in the Samoan Islands

Source: CNN Breaking News


An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck in the Samoan Islands region, the U.S. Geological Survey says.

14:33.01 EDT

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/

---

This is huge!

[gateley]

4. I think somebody posted there's a tusnami warning for Hawaii as a result of this...nt

[KamaAina]

24. Watch, not warning

and it may have just been canceled; the map no longer shows it.

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/pr/hnl/

If there is one, it would hit at or after 1:11 PM their time (4:11 PDT, 7:11 EDT).

[gateley]

26. Thanks -- I'm forever using the incorrect term, and I know it's important! nt

[MineralMan]

5. Wow! That's a big one!

I'll be following that one. Anything over 7 is worth watching.

[kestrel91316]

6. Dupe. I beat you to it, lol

[Better Believe It]

7. There is a Tsunami watch for Hawaii!

BULLETIN
TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
805 AM HST TUE SEP 29 2009

TO - CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT - TSUNAMI WATCH

A TSUNAMI WATCH IS ISSUED FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII EFFECTIVE AT
0805 AM HST.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME - 0748 AM HST 29 SEP 2009
COORDINATES - 15.3 SOUTH 171.0 WEST
LOCATION - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
MAGNITUDE - 7.9 MOMENT

EVALUATION

BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A TSUNAMI MAY HAVE BEEN GENERATED BY
THIS EARTHQUAKE THAT COULD BE DESTRUCTIVE ON COASTAL AREAS EVEN
FAR FROM THE EPICENTER. AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY TO DETERMINE
IF THERE IS A TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.

IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THE ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL OF
THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS

0111 PM HST TUE 29 SEP 2009

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages/hawaii/2009/hawaii.2009.09.29.180549.txt

[KamaAina]

25. Watch now canceled for Hawai'i

http://www.starbulletin.com/news/bulletin/Tsunami_watch_canceled_but_beach_parks_closed_.html

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has canceled the tsunami watch for Hawaii, according to State Civil Defense.

The 8.3 magnitude earthquake which occurred off American Samoa did not generate a tsunami that will affect Hawaii, officials said. The tsunami watch, which was issued at 8:05 a.m., was canceled at 10:23 a.m.

However, officials warn, coastal areas in Hawaii could experience sea-level changes and or unusual currents lasting up to several hours. Because of this all beach parks are closed islandwide until tomorrow morning.

[defendandprotect]

8. Global Warming = more earthquakes

[scheming daemons]

10. Please explain the relationship between atmospheric temperature and earthquake activity

I don't believe there is one.

[defendandprotect]

27. The Pentagon warned Bush early in '04 . . .bigger threat than "terrorism" --

"Global Warming a bigger threat to nation than terrorism."

This was a secret memo -- circulated quite widely at the time on internet --

HOWEVER, I looked quickly at a couple of the links and I don't see the original
report which included earthquakes --

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geu51fw8JKMf8A4vFXNyoA?p=Pentagon+warns+Bush+Global+Warming+greater+threat+than+terrorism.&fr2=sb-top&fr=ush-mail&sao=1

The internet is being scrubbed --

And you'll note that the reference to "worse than terrorism" is generally gone --

and also the term "Global Warming" which makes clear that HEAT is our problem is being reworked
in favor of "climate change" which can suggest to some that something natural is happening.
In fact, El Nino and La Nina were systems which used to occur only once every 1,000-2,000 years!
They are Global Warming.

Global Warming will bring catastropic weather conditions which accur when you heat up the atmosphere.
More intense hurricanes, floods, droughts - cyclones, tornadoes and earthquakes.

Also remember that we have roughly 106 nuclear reactors -- about two in every state -- and it
takes 6 months to properly shut them down!


PS: Should I locate a copy of the the original, I'll PM it to you --

[Better Believe It]

9. TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001

TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 1804Z 29 SEP 2009

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC
OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...
WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

... A TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH ARE IN EFFECT ...

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR

AMERICAN SAMOA / SAMOA / NIUE / WALLIS-FUTUNA / TOKELAU /
COOK ISLANDS / TONGA / TUVALU / KIRIBATI / KERMADEC IS / FIJI /
HOWLAND-BAKER / JARVIS IS. / NEW ZEALAND / FR. POLYNESIA /
PALMYRA IS.

A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR

VANUATU / NAURU / MARSHALL IS. / SOLOMON IS. / JOHNSTON IS. /
NEW CALEDONIA / KOSRAE / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / HAWAII / POHNPEI /
WAKE IS. / PITCAIRN / MIDWAY IS.

FOR ALL OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS BULLETIN... IT IS FOR
INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.

THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME - 1748Z 29 SEP 2009
COORDINATES - 15.3 SOUTH 171.0 WEST
DEPTH - SHALLOWER THAN 100 KM
LOCATION - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
MAGNITUDE - 7.9

EVALUATION

IT IS NOT KNOWN THAT A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED. THIS WARNING IS
BASED ONLY ON THE EARTHQUAKE EVALUATION. AN EARTHQUAKE OF THIS
SIZE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE A DESTRUCTIVE TSUNAMI THAT CAN
STRIKE COASTLINES NEAR THE EPICENTER WITHIN MINUTES AND MORE
DISTANT COASTLINES WITHIN HOURS. AUTHORITIES SHOULD TAKE
APPROPRIATE ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THIS POSSIBILITY. THIS CENTER
WILL MONITOR SEA LEVEL DATA FROM GAUGES NEAR THE EARTHQUAKE TO
DETERMINE IF A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED AND ESTIMATE THE SEVERITY OF
THE THREAT.

ESTIMATED INITIAL TSUNAMI WAVE ARRIVAL TIMES AT FORECAST POINTS
WITHIN THE WARNING AND WATCH AREAS ARE GIVEN BELOW. ACTUAL
ARRIVAL TIMES MAY DIFFER AND THE INITIAL WAVE MAY NOT BE THE
LARGEST. A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES AND THE TIME BETWEEN
SUCCESSIVE WAVES CAN BE FIVE MINUTES TO ONE HOUR.

LOCATION FORECAST POINT COORDINATES ARRIVAL TIME
-------------------------------- ------------ ------------
AMERICAN SAMOA PAGO PAGO 14.3S 170.7W 1759Z 29 SEP
SAMOA APIA 13.8S 171.8W 1810Z 29 SEP
NIUE NIUE IS. 19.0S 170.0W 1822Z 29 SEP
WALLIS-FUTUNA WALLIS IS. 13.2S 176.2W 1835Z 29 SEP
TOKELAU NUKUNONU IS. 9.2S 171.8W 1844Z 29 SEP
COOK ISLANDS PUKAPUKA IS. 10.8S 165.9W 1846Z 29 SEP
RAROTONGA 21.2S 159.8W 1929Z 29 SEP
PENRYN IS. 8.9S 157.8W 1954Z 29 SEP
TONGA NUKUALOFA 21.0S 175.2W 1851Z 29 SEP
TUVALU FUNAFUTI IS. 7.9S 178.5E 1932Z 29 SEP
KIRIBATI KANTON IS. 2.8S 171.7W 1935Z 29 SEP
FLINT IS. 11.4S 151.8W 2025Z 29 SEP
MALDEN IS. 3.9S 154.9W 2037Z 29 SEP
CHRISTMAS IS. 2.0N 157.5W 2100Z 29 SEP
TARAWA IS. 1.5N 173.0E 2104Z 29 SEP
KERMADEC IS RAOUL IS. 29.2S 177.9W 1938Z 29 SEP
FIJI SUVA 18.1S 178.4E 2003Z 29 SEP
HOWLAND-BAKER HOWLAND IS. 0.6N 176.6W 2008Z 29 SEP
JARVIS IS. JARVIS IS. 0.4S 160.1W 2028Z 29 SEP
NEW ZEALAND EAST CAPE 37.7S 178.5E 2044Z 29 SEP
GISBORNE 38.7S 178.0E 2100Z 29 SEP
NORTH CAPE 34.4S 173.3E 2112Z 29 SEP
NAPIER 39.5S 176.9E 2140Z 29 SEP
WELLINGTON 41.3S 174.8E 2150Z 29 SEP
AUCKLAND(E) 36.7S 175.0E 2212Z 29 SEP
AUCKLAND(W) 37.1S 174.2E 2239Z 29 SEP
LYTTELTON 43.6S 172.7E 2255Z 29 SEP
NEW PLYMOUTH 39.1S 174.1E 2317Z 29 SEP
NELSON 41.3S 173.3E 2323Z 29 SEP
DUNEDIN 45.9S 170.5E 2331Z 29 SEP
MILFORD SOUND 44.6S 167.9E 2358Z 29 SEP
WESTPORT 41.8S 171.6E 2359Z 29 SEP
FR. POLYNESIA PAPEETE 17.5S 149.6W 2045Z 29 SEP
HIVA OA 10.0S 139.0W 2214Z 29 SEP
RIKITEA 23.1S 135.0W 2247Z 29 SEP
PALMYRA IS. PALMYRA IS. 6.3N 162.4W 2102Z 29 SEP
VANUATU ANATOM IS. 20.2S 169.9E 2117Z 29 SEP
ESPERITU SANTO 15.1S 167.3E 2123Z 29 SEP
NAURU NAURU 0.5S 166.9E 2138Z 29 SEP
MARSHALL IS. MAJURO 7.1N 171.4E 2147Z 29 SEP
KWAJALEIN 8.7N 167.7E 2220Z 29 SEP
ENIWETOK 11.4N 162.3E 2309Z 29 SEP
SOLOMON IS. KIRAKIRA 10.4S 161.9E 2155Z 29 SEP
GHATERE 7.8S 159.2E 2227Z 29 SEP
AUKI 8.8S 160.6E 2244Z 29 SEP
HONIARA 9.3S 160.0E 2244Z 29 SEP
PANGGOE 6.9S 157.2E 2245Z 29 SEP
MUNDA 8.4S 157.2E 2248Z 29 SEP
FALAMAE 7.4S 155.6E 2304Z 29 SEP
JOHNSTON IS. JOHNSTON IS. 16.7N 169.5W 2212Z 29 SEP
NEW CALEDONIA NOUMEA 22.3S 166.5E 2216Z 29 SEP
KOSRAE KOSRAE IS. 5.5N 163.0E 2233Z 29 SEP
PAPUA NEW GUINE KIETA 6.1S 155.6E 2303Z 29 SEP
AMUN 6.0S 154.7E 2323Z 29 SEP
RABAUL 4.2S 152.3E 2349Z 29 SEP
HAWAII NAWILIWILI 22.0N 159.4W 2311Z 29 SEP
HILO 19.7N 155.1W 2314Z 29 SEP
HONOLULU 21.3N 157.9W 2315Z 29 SEP
POHNPEI POHNPEI IS. 7.0N 158.2E 2318Z 29 SEP
WAKE IS. WAKE IS. 19.3N 166.6E 2322Z 29 SEP
PITCAIRN PITCAIRN IS. 25.1S 130.1W 2329Z 29 SEP
MIDWAY IS. MIDWAY IS. 28.2N 177.4W 2349Z 29 SEP

BULLETINS WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT.
THE TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL
FURTHER NOTICE.

THE WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL ISSUE PRODUCTS
FOR ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...WASHINGTON...OREGON...CALIFORNIA.

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages/pacific/2009/pacific.2009.09.29.180334.txt

[happyslug]

13. Please note all times are given in Z-time, which is the same as GMT and UTC

In simple terms subtract 5 hours for EST, then add an hour for EDT.

http://www.aos.wisc.edu/~hopkins/aos100/z-time.htm

Adjustments from Z time to your local time:

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/world_tzones.php

[Mrs. Overall]

11. Now upgraded to 8.3.

[Hekate]

12. Damn that's big. Any news on the tv machine yet? nt

[Mrs. Overall]

20. Seems like some newspapers are saying that parts of Samoa were devasted by the wave and yet

MSNBC is still reporting the magnitude at 7.9 and saying all is well.

I guess we'll have to wait for more reports.

[jayfish]

14. "Tsunami Hits American Samoa"

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_PACIFIC_EARTHQUAKE?SITE=SCCHA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (AP) -- A tsunami swept into Pago Pago (Pan-go, pan-go) in American Samoa shortly after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.9 shook the Pacific area.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or structural damage.

Fili Sagapolutele, who works at the Samoa News, says water flowed inland about 100 yards before receding, leaving cars stuck in mud.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu issued a tsunami warning for American Samoa and other areas of the Pacific, including New Zealand. A tsunami watch was posted elsewhere, including Hawaii and the Marshall Islands.

This doesn't say much about the extent of the damage but I read another article that quoted a witness saying that "cars were floating in the streets".

Jay

[uppityperson]

15. 20-40 ft high. Another article...

http://www.radioworld.com/article/87906

n undersea earthquake about 125 miles from Samoa has caused a tsunami that washed over nearby American Samoa. The Pago Harbor area was hard hit, according to a report posted by Kirk Harnack to his Facebook page. The earthquake hit Sept. 29th at 6:48 a.m. local time (1:48 p.m. EDT) and the wave reached Pago Pago around 8:13 a.m. local time (3:13 p.m. EDT).

Harnack, director of international business development for Telos Systems, is vice president of enginnering for South Seas Broadcasting, which owns KKHJ-FM and WVUV-FM in Pago Pago, American Samoa. According to a report posted by Harnack from Joey Cummings, manager of the stations, the Pago Harbor area was hit with a wave 20 feet to 40 feet in height. AC power is out to the stations and is believed to be out at the transmitter site.

“All cars in our building's parking lot are washed out to the harbor. KKHJ-FM and WVUV-FM - our offices, too - are on the 2nd floor of the Pago Plaza building. They're OK. But the ground-mounted generator (landlord provided) is non-operable now,” Cummings wrote.

“Reports of cars, ‘aiga busses’ (private busses) and school busses being washed out to the harbor or to sea. Surely dozens missing and presumed drowned. Dozens if not hundreds of businesses surround Pago Harbor — many of them are now gone,” Cummings continued.

[Odin2005]

19. Yikes!

:wow:

[happyslug]

16. Was to hit 18:20 Z time, about 2:10 EDT, about right

n/t

[uppityperson]

17. NZ article.....

http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/damage-in-samoa-after-tsunami-3040121
A powerful 8.3 magnitude earthquake in the Pacific off American Samoa has generated a tsunami in Samoa.

Tony Manson, a TVNZ worker in Samoa, was on the beach when he felt the earthquake. He saw waves breaking before the reef and the sea receding so ran for the hills. Manson says it took only 30 seconds to get from beach chalets to hills before it completely devastated villages and locals are missing their family members. He says a large fale was completely wiped out and it was a big construction made of concrete

Tvnz.co.nz spoke to local resident Ampe Roma who was in his office in Apia, Samoa when he felt the strong quake. Roma says the quake lasted over five minutes then Apia was evacuated by police and people sent to higher ground inland.

A tsunami watch is in effect for New Zealand, Hawaii, Papua New Guinea and other small Pacific islands. The epicentre of the quake was located 190 km southwest of American Samoa. It struck at a depth of 33 km. An earthquake of this magnitude is capable of causing a tsunami.

[happyslug]

18. Expected to hit New Zealand about 4:45 to 5:00 EDT i.e. within the next hour.

NOAA list of Z-time the wave should hit:
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages/pacific/2009/pacific.2009.09.29.180334.txt

It is expected to hit Hawaii about 2311 Z-time or about 7:11 pm EDT or about 1:11 pm Hawaii Time.

[kestrel91316]

23. People in HI need to take to higher ground NOW and not wait until the last minute.

[happyslug]

21. Latest report on the Samoa hit from the West Coast NOAA Site

Location Lat. Lon. Time Amplitude
------------------------ ----- ------ ------- -----------

Apia West Samoa 13.8S 171.8W 1832UTC 0.70M/2.3ft
Pago Pago Amer. Samoa 14.3S 170.7W 1825UTC 1.57M/5.1ft

West Coast Tsunami Site:
http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/2009/09/29/424649/02/message424649-02.htm
http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/

The Pacific Site is:
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/

No one call for it to hit the West Coast yet, but I think NOAA wants to wait to see if it hits Hawaii first and how bad before calling it for the West Coast.

[Hekate]

22. Some updates at Honolulu Star-Bulletin--link

http://www.starbulletin.com/

[happyslug]

28. Latest Report from Hawaii, indicates some activity but all less then a foot so far. 1:58 GMT/Z time

10:58 EDT, 1:58 Z time, UDT and GMT

TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 4
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
412 PM HST TUE SEP 29 2009

TO - CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT - TSUNAMI ADVISORY

A TSUNAMI ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME - 0748 AM HST 29 SEP 2009
COORDINATES - 15.3 SOUTH 171.0 WEST
LOCATION - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
MAGNITUDE - 8.3 MOMENT
MAGNITUDE - 8.0 RICHTER (MS)

MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY

GAUGE LOCATION LAT LON TIME AMPL PER
------------------- ----- ------ ----- --------------- -----
KAWAIHAE HAWAII 20.0N 155.8W 0238PM 0.24M / 0.8FT 12MIN
HILO HAWAII 19.7N 155.1W 0212PM 0.16M / 0.5FT 18MIN
KAUMALAPAU LANAI 20.8N 157.0W 0239PM 0.12M / 0.4FT 14MIN
MOKUOLOE OAHU 21.4N 157.8W 0349PM 0.02M / 0.1FT 18MIN
KAHULUI MAUI 20.9N 156.5W 0309PM 0.36M / 1.2FT 16MIN
NAWILIWILI KAUAI 22.0N 159.4W 0308PM 0.22M / 0.7FT 08MIN

LAT - LATITUDE (N-NORTH, S-SOUTH)
LON - LONGITUDE (E-EAST, W-WEST)
TIME - TIME OF THE MEASUREMENT (HAWAIIAN STANDARD TIME)
AMPL - TSUNAMI AMPLITUDE MEASURED RELATIVE TO NORMAL SEA LEVEL.
IT IS ...NOT... CREST-TO-TROUGH WAVE HEIGHT.
VALUES ARE GIVEN IN BOTH METERS(M) AND FEET(FT).
PER - PERIOD OF TIME IN MINUTES(MIN) FROM ONE WAVE TO THE NEXT.

EVALUATION

SMALL TSUNAMI WAVES FROM THIS EARTHQUAKE ARE NOW CROSSING THE
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. WHILE THESE WAVES ARE NOT EXPECTED TO CAUSE
ANY SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING THEY CAN PRODUCE SMALL CHANGES
OF SEA LEVEL AT THE COAST AND STRONG OR UNUSUAL CURRENTS THAT
CAN BE A HAZARD TO SWIMMERS...BOATERS AND BEACHGOERS.

THE WAVES ARRIVED IN HAWAII SHORTLY AFTER 100PM HST. WAVE
ACTION CAN CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS AFTER THE INITIAL WAVE AND
THE FIRST WAVE IS OFTEN NOT THE LARGEST.

THE TSUNAMI ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII
UNTIL 700PM HAWAIIAN STANDARD TIME.

MESSAGES WILL CONTINUE TO BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER AS CONDITIONS
WARRANT.


http://www.prh.noaa.gov/pr/ptwc/messages/hawaii/2009/hawaii.2009.09.30.015810.txt
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/pr/ptwc/

[happyslug]

29. Map of expected route of wave, West Coast appear to be more in the way then Hawaii,

But both look light, the big hit was local in Samoa itself:


http://origin-wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/previous.events/09-29-09-Samoa/09-29-09.html

[Duer 157099]

30. Due to hit California coast in about an hour (9:30pm)

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090929/ARTICLES/909299910/1350?Title=Tsunami-related-wave-action-expected-on-North-Coast

"Waves action between 8 inches and 25 inches is expected to reach the California coast at 9:25 p.m. Tuesday."

[JCMach1]

31. First video out of American Samoa looks devastating

:(

[gauguin57]

32. New Zealand Herald reporting more than 100 dead in Samoa, accd'ng to health workers.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10600451

Health workers in Samoa report over 100 dead with many more missing or unaccounted for, following this morning's 8.3 magnitude earthquake and powerful tsunami.

American Samoa Governor Togiola Tulafono said at least 50 were injured, in addition to the deaths.

Hampered by power and communications outages, officials struggled to assess the casualties and damage. The official death toll remains at 39 but looks set to soar, with dead bodies already piling up at a hospital in Samoa.

[Odin2005]

33. That had to have been frightening!

:scared:

[The Hope Mobile]

34. Tsunami Hits American Samoa

Source: AP

Tsunami hits American Samoa

A tsunami warning was issued for New Zealand and other small Pacific islands after a major 7.9 magnitude quake struck in the ocean off American Samoa Reuters – A tsunami warning was issued for New Zealand and other small Pacific islands after a major 7.9 magnitude …

* Where the buffalo roam Play Video Earthquakes Video:Where the buffalo roam AP

By FILI SAGAPOLUTELE, For The Associated Press Fili Sagapolutele, For The Associated Press – 23 mins ago

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa – A powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific between Samoa and American Samoa around dawn Tuesday, sending terrified residents fleeing for higher ground as a tsunami swept ashore, flattening at least one village. There were no immediate reports of fatalities.

The temblor hit at 6:48 a.m. Tuesday (1748 GMT) midway between the two island groups. In Apia, families reported shaking that lasted for up to three minutes. The U.S. Geological Service said the quake struck 20 miles (35 kilometers) below the ocean floor, 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. It said there were indications a tsunami wave could be "destructive" along some coastlines.

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

"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 100 yards (meters) 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.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090929/ap_on_re_au_an/as_pacific_earthquake

[aquart]

35. Where is it expected to hit next?

[The Hope Mobile]

38. Could even go as far as Hawaii nt

[Auggie]

36. Warnings issued for the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand,

French Polynesia and Palmyra Island, plus numerous others.

[happyslug]

37. N/T

[Akoto]

39. Powerful earthquake in South Pacific hurls massive tsunami at Samoas, killing nearly 100

Source: Associated Press

APIA, Samoa (AP) -- A massive tsunami hurled by a powerful earthquake flattened Samoan villages and swept cars and people out to sea, killing at least 99 and leaving dozens missing Wednesday. The toll was expected to rise.

Survivors fled the fast-churning water for higher ground on the South Pacific islands and remained huddled there hours after the quake, with a magnitude between 8.0 and 8.3, struck around dawn Tuesday.

The quake was centered about 125 miles (200 kilometers) from Samoa, an island nation of 180,000 people located about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. It was about 120 miles (190 kilometers) from neighboring American Samoa, a U.S. territory that is home to 65,000 people.

Four tsunami waves 15 to 20 feet (4 to 6 meters) high roared ashore on American Samoa, reaching up to a mile (1.5 kilometers) inland, Mike Reynolds, superintendent of the National Park of American Samoa, was quoted as saying by a parks service spokeswoman.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_PACIFIC_EARTHQUAKE?SITE=WIJAN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[Duer 157099]

40. As I posted in the other thread... what about all the tiny atolls?

There are thousands of very tiny atolls in that exact area, inhabited, and just a couple feet above sea level. I wonder if/when we'll ever hear about what happened on those?

Here's the example I pointed out in the other thread, take a look at this map, then zoom out to see where it is relative to Samoa, notice how tiny it is, then notice how many more hundreds/thousands of these there are in the region that would have certainly been impacted.

I realize that there are not reporters on every one (or even any of them) but I would think someone would at least mention it in the reporting about this.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=samoa&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=29.910058,56.074219&ie=UTF8&ll=-9.20034,-171.848745&spn=0.004543,0.010933&t=h&z=17

[muriel_volestrangler]

41. One hopes there's officials with satellite phone or radios who contact a larger place

to say what their needs are, if any. That area is mentioned in this news story:

In Tokelau, which comprises three low-lying atolls, people remained on alert and were taking precautions and moving to higher ground.

No high waves had been seen but people were waiting to see what would come.

Niue was reasonably safe because it was high and the concern there was for people out on the water, the spokesman said.

In Suva, Fiji, there were reports of waves hitting around 10 a. m. local time but no damage was reported.

Neither Vanuatu, Kiribati, New Caledonia nor the Solomon Islands had reported high waves.

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=443205

And similar articles: http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/waves-hit-tonga-six-dead-3042124 http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/200909/s2701164.htm (it's Tokelau, as far as I can tell)