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7.9 quake hits South Pacific, tsunami alert issued
Updated 4m ago
APIA, Samoa (AP) — 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 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 below the ocean floor and was 120 miles 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.
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3:30PM
USGS upgraded quake to 8.3, from initial 7.9 estimate (MSNBC Becker of Pacific Tsunami Warning Center) Tsunami waves have been detected in Somoa.Phone reports of cars moved in waters, and people evacuating to higher ground.
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MN NYT update here that has more details about the quake and the Tsunami effects so far....More in Comments about Warning issued for California starting at 9PM their time.
15 comments:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake in the Pacific off American Samoa generated a tsunami, U.S. government agencies said on Tuesday.
Sea level readings indicated a tsunami was generated in the Pacific, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a branch of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said.
The agency earlier issued a tsunami warning for New Zealand, American Samoa and other small Pacific islands.
The epicenter of the quake was located 120 miles southwest of American Samoa, a remote Pacific island, the U.S. Geological Survey. It struck at a depth of 20.5 miles.
(Reporting by Stacey Joyce, editing by Frances Kerry)
3:25 PM
CNN) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck in the Samoan Islands region Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck in the Samoan Islands region Tuesday.
The temblor generated a nearly 10-foot (3-meter) tsunami -- measured from crest to trough -- according to preliminary data, said Chip McCreery, the director of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.
A tsunami warning was in effect for American Samoa, Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga and Fiji, among others in the South Pacific archipelago, according to a bulletin from the center.
A tsunami watch was issued for islands farther from the epicenter, including Hawaii and Papua New Guinea. See a map of where the earthquake hit »
Officials were determining whether the tsunami could reach Hawaii, the center said.
The quake is not expected to generate a tsunami along the west coast of the United States or Canada, according to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.
Further details were not immediately available.
There were no immediate reports of damage.
The quake was recorded at 6:48 a.m. (1:28 p.m. ET) at a depth of about 7.4 miles (11.9 km), the USGS reported.
Page last updated at 19:29 GMT, Tuesday, 29 September 2009 20:29 UK
BBC:::
A powerful earthquake has struck near the Samoa islands, triggering a potentially destructive tsunami along the coasts of several Pacific nations.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) upgraded the quake to magnitude 8.3 from 7.9 earlier recorded by the US Geological Survey.
The quake hit at 1748 GMT at a depth of 33km (20.5 miles) some 190km south-west of Apia on the island of Samoa.
PTWC says sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated in the Pacific.
It says the tsunami "may have been destructive" along coasts near the earthquake epicentre.
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Samoa islands, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific islands, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.
The Samoa islands comprise two separate entities - the nation of Samoa and American Samoa, a US territory - with a total population of about 250,000 people.
3:45 PM.
...taking break for an hour- computer on fritz- will update when I can borrow son's....prayers to friends down under....
Los Angeles Times | September 29, 2009 | 4:07 p.m.
Officials issue tsunami advisory for California coast
Federal officials issued a tsunami advisory -- not a tsunami watch or tsunami warning, they stressed -- for the California coast after a 7.9 temblor struck American Samoa earlier today.
Officials said they don't believe coastal regions are likely to suffer much damage but said it's possible some beaches could see higher than usually tides beginning at 9 p.m. PST. Curt Kaplan of the National Weather Service in Oxnard said the seismic activity could add a foot to the normal size of waves.
1.3 is one strong shaking. I lived in California for a number of years and I have never experienced a more insecure feeling than when the earth moves.
Hope your puter is feeling better soon :)
Peace
I meant 8.3 gosh diddly darn it!!!!
thanks Human-
I too lived out west for many years - cali and washington...seattle...and yeah...
8.3...damn...huge...
Cali now has a coastal tsunami watch until 9 PM...
thanks Human-
I too lived out west for many years - cali and washington...seattle...and yeah...
8.3...damn...huge...
Cali now has a coastal tsunami watch until 9 PM...
Any news on the pacific coast?
Hope we have real FEMA and real national guard there....
TomInSeattle
RIVERSIDE – Experts are not surprised by the powerful undersea earthquake and tsunami near American Samoa.
The number of dead and missing is growing, but the toll is expected to fall far short of the 2004 Indonesia quake that sent a killer tsunami across the Indian Ocean.
Dr. Katherine Kendrick, a USGS geologist at UC Riverside, said both were caused by tectonic plates slipping beneath another.
“It’s a slightly different kind of mechanism, but still capable of generating tsunami waves.”
Those were estimated at 5-feet, but were predicted to diminish to only 1-foot when reaching Southern California where a tsunami ‘advisory’ was issued for fluctuating tides and currents.
Dr. Kendrick says the improved Pacific tsunami warning system appears to have worked.
“Initially, there was a broad tsunami warning. But, when it was evaluated, it was narrowed.”
The epicenter of the South Pacific quake was 4,000 miles from Los Angeles. (INT)
Story Date: September 29, 2009
At least 13 people have been killed and thousands are trapped under flattened buildings after a powerful earthquake hit western Indonesia today, a disaster management official said.
A 7.6-magnitude quake struck just off the coast of the town of Padang in the Western Sumatra province.
Bad 24 hours in Ring of Fire:
JAKARTA, Indonesia — The U.S. Geological Survey says another powerful earthquake has shaken western Indonesia.
The 6.9 magnitude struck at 08:52 a.m. local time (0152GMT) Thursday on Sumatra island, about 180 miles (280 kilometers) from the epicenter of a more powerful quake on Wednesday.
Rescue efforts are under way around the area worst hit by Wednesday's quake, the regional capital of Padang on West Sumatra. At least 200 people died there and thousands are said to be trapped under collapsed buildings throughout the province.
There were no immediate reports of damage from Thursday's quake.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
PADANG, Indonesia (AP) – A powerful earthquake that struck western Indonesia triggered landslides and trapped thousands of people under collapsed buildings – including two hospitals, officials said. At least 200 bodies were found in one coastal city and the toll was expected to be far higher.
The temblor Wednesday started fires, severed roads and cut off power and communications to Padang, a coastal city of 900,000 on Sumatra island. Thousands fled in panic, fearing a tsunami.
Buildings swayed hundreds of miles (kilometers) away in neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/30/indonesia-earthquake-hits_n_304010.html
From Al Jeezeera::
Sumatra toll 'more than thousands'
Thousands are trapped under rubble and officials say the death toll is certain to rise [Reuters]
Rescue teams are racing to reach thousands of people trapped under collapsed buildings after an earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Between 100 and 200 were dead, said a national disaster agency spokesman, but Siti Fadillah Supari, the health minister, said on Thursday the number of victims "could be more ... than thousands, if we look at how widespread the damage is ... but we don't really know yet".
The 7.6 magnitude undersea quake hit on Wednesday afternoon, about 50km from Padang and the coastal city with a population of 900,000 bore the brunt of the temblor.
A second quake, with a 6.8 magnitude, struck Sumatra on Thursday, about 225km southeast of Padang, according to the US Geological Survey.
There were no reports of deaths or damage from the second quake yet but the Indonesian geophysics and meteorology agency said there were several heavily populated towns nearby.
"The latest quake could have been triggered by the West Sumatra quake yesterday. The pressure from the two plates colliding might have caused the rear of either plates to break and this likely triggered the latest quake," Suharjono, the agency's technical chief, told the AFP news agency.
Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen, reporting from Indonesia, said scientists had been warning of a major earthquake in the area for quite a long time, but Jakarta said it did not have funds for evacuation measures and Padang did not seem prepared for a major disaster.
Officials in Padang said about 500 houses had caved in and witnesses said many buildings had collapsed after Wednesday's quake.
'Big buildings down'
"The big buildings are down. The concrete buildings are all down, the hospitals, the main markets, down and burned. A lot of people died in there. A lot of places are burning," Jane Liddon, an Australian businesswoman, told Australian radio from Padang.
Quake wrecks Sumatra town
Padang quake warning ignored
The Padang airport had to be closed after part of the roof collapsed and bridges and telecommunications links were also cut.
Rustam Pakaya, the head of the health ministry's disaster centre, said that a hospital was among the buildings that had been destroyed on Wednesday.
He said a field hospital was being prepared to assist the injured and medical teams were on their way from neighbouring provinces.
Bob McMullan, Australia's international aid minister, offered emergency assistance, saying he feared the death toll would be "large".
Aburizal Bakrie, Indonesia's welfare minister, said authorities should prepare for the worst, adding damage could be on a par with an earthquake in Yogyakarta, central Java, in 2006 that killed 5,000 people and damaged or destroyed 150,000 homes.
'Very strong'
"The earthquake was very strong," a resident named Kasmiati, who lives on the coast near to the epicentre, told The Associated Press news agency.
"People ran to high ground. Houses and buildings were badly damaged," she said. "I was outside, so I am safe, but my children at home were injured."
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued regional tsunami warning following the earthquake, but the warning was cancelled soon afterwards.
The Indonesian earthquake came just hours after a series of tsunamis caused death and devastation on the Pacific island nations of American Samoa and Samoa.
Padang, the capital of Indonesia's West Sumatra province, sits on one of the world's most active fault lines along the "Ring of Fire", where the Indo-Australia plate grinds against the Eurasia plate, creating regular tremors and sometimes earthquakes.
The low-lying city was badly hit by an 8.4 magnitude quake in September 2007, when dozens of people died and several large buildings collapsed.
more from Huffpo:::
PADANG, Indonesia — A powerful earthquake that struck western Indonesia trapped thousands of people under collapsed buildings – including hospitals, a hotel and a classroom, officials said. At least 200 bodies were found in one coastal city and the toll was expected to be far higher.
The temblor Wednesday started fires, severed roads and cut off power and communications to Padang, a coastal city of 900,000 on Sumatra island. Thousands fled in panic, fearing a tsunami.
The undersea quake of 7.6 magnitude was followed by a powerful, shallow inland earthquake on Thursday morning with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It hit about 150 miles (240 kilometers) south of Padang at a depth of just 24 kilometers (under 20 miles).
Shallow, inland earthquakes generally are more destructive, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injures.
On Wednesday, buildings had swayed hundreds of miles (kilometers) away in neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.
In Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, the shaking was so intense that people crouched or sat on the street to avoid falling. Children screamed as an exodus of thousands tried to get away from the coast in cars and motorbikes, honking horns.
At least 500 buildings in Padang collapsed or were badly damaged, said Disaster Management Agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono, adding that 200 bodies had been pulled from the rubble there. The extent of damage in surrounding areas was still unclear due to poor communications, he said.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/30/indonesia-earthquake-hits_n_304010.html
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