Published 09:05 IST, February 11th 2021
'Tsunami Alert': NZ asks citizens to clear waterfront after earthquake hits South Pacific
New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency warned people to step away from waterfronts, saying that coastal areas might experience “hazardous waves".
- World News
- 3 min read
New Zealand on February 10 issued a ‘hazardous waves’ warning due to oceanic surges and asked its coastal residents to move off the waterfront after a Tsunami alert in South Pacific was activated late Wednesday. It happened following a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the South Pacific about 415km east of Vao in New Caledonia, just about two weeks after two major earthquakes hit southwest of Sumatra in Indonesia and the Philippines, respectively. US government's NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a Tsunami advisory for Fiji, and New Zealand’s coastal areas near Vanuatu, New Caledonia, predominantly in Northland.
Waves reaching between 0.3 and one meter above the tide level are predicted. According to the Twitter update of Fiji’s seismology department, powerful waves measuring 0.3 meters started hitting the island nation. Meanwhile, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology confirmed Tsunami, issuing a warning for Lord Howe Island, located about 550 kilometers east of Australia's mainland. In a statement, New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency warned people to step away from the waterfronts, saying that the coastal areas might experience “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake.” Residents were ordered to vacate harbours, rivers, and estuaries and avoid seaside activities.
Tsunami siren network activated
In a Facebook post, Civil Defence Northland said: ‘If there had been a threat of land inundation (or) evacuations required, we would have used the more intrusive options— activated the tsunami siren network and sent out phone alerts. We had members of our team ready to go on both of these.’ Acting director for Civil Defence Emergency Management, Roger Ball said in a statement that a "very powerful" earthquake reported near the Loyalty Islands has prompted the authorities to action. "As a result of that and after assessment by our science advisers, we've issued a national advisory for tsunami activity affecting the shorelines of parts of New Zealand.”
Furthermore, New Zealand’s CDEM warned the residents in Northland, the Bay of Plenty, and the Gisborne coastline to remain away from the ocean, saying that the “effects of this will play out probably for a little bit of time but we do want people to stay out of the water and off the beaches.” Pacific Ocean’s Ring of Fire or Circum-Pacific Belt, which is approximately 40,000 kilometers (24,900 miles) is the ocean’s seismically active site prone to earthquakes and volcanic activities due to several tectonic plates that collide at the point known as fault lines.
Updated 09:05 IST, February 11th 2021