Hawaii under tsunami warning

[defendandprotect]

Source: AP



Hawaii under tsunami warning --

By JAYMES SONG, Associated Press Writer Jaymes Song, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 44 mins ago
EWA BEACH, Hawaii – Hawaii braced Saturday for a potentially damaging tsunami, after a massive earthquake off Chile sent waves across the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning — its highest alert — for Hawaii, where incoming waves could cause damage along the coastlines across the island chain. A warning was also in effect for Guam, American Samoa and dozens of other Pacific islands.

The first waves were expected to arrive in Hawaii at 11:19 a.m. Saturday (4:19 p.m. EST).

A lower-grade tsunami advisory was in effect for the coast of California and an Alaskan coastal area from Kodiak to Attu islands. Authorities in Australia did not issue a warning, but asked residents to stay away from the coast.

The Ewa Beach, Hawaii-based center called for "urgent action to protect lives and property" in Hawaii, which is among 53 nations and territories subject to tsunami warnings.

"The main thing is we want everyone to take this event seriously," said Charles McCreery, director of the center.

McCreery said he didn't know how big the waves will be, but he expected them to be the largest to hit Hawaii since 1964.

The state planned to sound warning sirens statewide at 6 a.m. to alert residents and tourists of the incoming tsunami, said Shelly Ichishita, spokeswoman for state civil defense.

People in coastal areas, such as tourist-filled Waikiki, will then be instructed on a possible evacuation. The sirens will also be sounded again three hours prior to the estimated arrival time.

"If you're in an evacuation zone, police or civil defense volunteers would instruct you to evacuate, or instructions will come out over the radio and TV," she said.

If coastal areas are evacuated, visitors in Waikiki would be moved to higher floors in their hotels, rather than moved out of the tourist district, which could cause gridlock.

Ichishita said people who are not in evacuation zones to stay away from coastal areas.

Despite the incoming waves, the state was calm through the night with no signs of panic.

"We've got a lot of things going for us," McCreery said. "We have a reasonable lead time. The evacuation should all take place during daylight hours, and wave impact should be during daylight hours.

"We should be able to alert everyone in harm's way to move out of the evacuation zones."

Barry Hirschon, also of the Tsunami center, said the advisory for the California coast and parts of Alaska was the agency's lowest level alert.

"It's a heads up that there's been a tsunami event and it could affect the coasts later," Hirschon told CNN. "I don't think it will be updated to a warning."

The largest earthquake ever recorded struck the same area of Chile in 1960. The deadly wave that it caused raced across the Pacific and hit the Hilo area of the Big Island, where 61 people were killed.

___


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100227/ap_on_re_us/us_quake_tsunami_alerts

---

Earthquakes are part of Global Warming ---

[Judi Lynn]

1. Hawaii prepares evacuations ahead of tsunami

Source: International Business Times

Hawaii prepares evacuations ahead of tsunami
27 February 2010 @ 10:13 am ET

HONOLULU - Hawaii prepared to start evacuations ahead of a tsunami generated by a massive earthquake in Chile, a civil defence official on the U.S. island said on Saturday.

It planned to sound civil defence sirens across the island state at 6 a.m. local time (4 p.m. British time) after the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said a tsunami was generated that could cause damage along the coasts of all the Hawaiian islands,

"Get off the shore line. We are closing all the beaches and telling people to drive out of the area," said John Cummings, Oahu Civil Defence spokesman.

Buses will patrol beaches and take people to parks in a voluntary process expected to last five hours.

More than an hour before sirens were due to sound lines of cars snaked for blocks from gas stations in Honolulu.

"Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property," the Warning Centre said in a bulletin. "All shores are at risk no matter which direction they face."


Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20100227/hawaii-prepares-evacuations-ahead-tsunami.htm

[Robb]

2. Hilo Bay webcam appears to be overloaded. nt

[1776Forever]

4. Try this one -

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7806900

[AngryOldDem]

8. Just tried it and it didn't load.

Probably overwhelmed with hits.

This is supposed to hit when? Around 4 p.m. EST?

[1776Forever]

9. Yes Hawaii at 11:19 a.m. Saturday and 4:19 Eastern Standard Time

[1776Forever]

11. Try this one - it works for me - every 5 mins you have to refresh

http://www.honolulu.gov/multimed/wme.asp

[BumRushDaShow]

10. There is one here

http://live.waikikitimes.com/

Not sure how often the "live" shot refreshes but the site also offers a link to the last 12 stills (taken 1 hour apart). If anything, not sure if Oahu would be as impacted as the Big isle, which seems to be more in the path.

[spotbird]

15. People look pretty calm at the beach

I'd probably go to the store and buy some bottled water then head toward high ground.

[KamaAina]

42. Believe it or not, local TV news is using bjpenn.com!

Yes, B.J. Penn, the mixed martial arts superstar, is a Hilo native, and the Fox affiliate in Hawai'i (Hilo no longer has stations of its own) is using the Skype feed from

http://www.bjpenn.com

Seriesly!

[BumRushDaShow]

3. Wow

All those hotels by the beach and the beaches aren't really that wide. Hope people will recognize the sirens as not just test blasts.

[CreekDog]

5. Whole Pacific Coast Tsunami advisory: (I take exception to global warming "causing" earthquakes)

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cirque du So-What]

7. Why do you 'take exception'?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-glacial_rebound

Post-glacial rebound theory has its detractors, of course, but they tend to be the same people who pooh-pooh any notion of global climate change in general.

[meeshrox]

13. You took this info COMPLETELY out of context...

INTRAPLATE earthquakes may be caused by isostatic rebound, sure, but this earthquake happened at a plate boundary...

DO NOT try to argue that wikipedia article supports your claim of global warming causing earthquakes...such an attempt will cause me to pull out my scientific expertise - I am a tectonist and volcanologist. You are spreading false information. This does not detract from the seriousness of global climate change, but the ends do not justify the means.

[crew doyle]

14. I'm just an amateur geologist but I don't think there was any glaciation

widespread at Chilean latitudes...?

[meeshrox]

17. You are correct...

widespread glaciation, if it were at that latitude at all, was not recent in geologic time...

Localized glaciers are found because of the altitude of the Andes Mountains.

Thanks for that point! :hi:

[Cirque du So-What]

18. The person to whom I addressed my comment

made a blanket statement about earthquakes: "I take exception to global warming 'causing' earthquakes," and that's what I was addressing - not the earthquake that occurred off the coast of Chile. Is post-glacial rebound 'false information?' If you believe it is, please enlighten us stoopid laypeople as to what, exactly, is 'false' about it? Do you always assume such a haughty attitude? It's really quite off-putting and reinforces the notion among the general public that scientists are an arrogant lot.

[meeshrox]

22. My apologies...

My comments were meant to be directed more towards the "nuclear weapons and global warming" argument, wrong sub-thread. The wikipedia entry does speak true about isostatic rebound from glaciation; that cannot be applied to the Chilean earthquake, as others on this thread did.

I do not usually let myself get heated about these arguments. I made that mistake here. It is not arrogance; I wish to set the record straight when I see something false. I feel the need to explain specifically why something said was wrong. Scientists are people, with emotions and lives. And, yes, some of them have egos. Scientific knowledge is not arrogance any more than artistic knowledge or skill would be...everyone has their own specialties in life.

[CreekDog]

37. I simply wanted to be in the discussion about the tsunami but not join in on the part that said:

it was part of global warming.

that's all.

pretty simple really.

the OP is I think very quick to believe in the more improbable explanation for well known phenomena.

[AnArmyVeteran]

45. I got ice from my refrigerator proving global warming is a hoax...

Ever notice every time a snowflake or a piece of hail falls anywhere in the world those on the right say it's proof global warming is a hoax? Yeah, I know, my example is a bit overstated, but right wingers are that ridiculous. They constantly attack scientists, scholars, educators, universities and just about anyone who is intelligent. They obviously feel threatened by anyone who is smarter than they are (and that is just about everyone).

[Robb]

12. Spam rationing!

OK, a little moment of levity courtesy the local news feed. :D

[Jamastiene]

16. Now, THAT, I take exception to.

No one stands between me and my Spam. Move outta the way. That's MY Spam. :P

I love Spam cooked in brown sugar with pineapples on top. :9

[northofdenali]

24. Spam!

The Official Meat(?) of Alaska and Hawaii!

On a per capita basis, Hawaii consumers are the leading consumers of SPAM products in the U.S., with Alaska, Arkansas, Texas and Alabama following their lead.
http://www.huntingtonnews.net/columns/090427-staff-columnsspamjam.html

If Hawaii runs short, let me know. I have 4 cases in the shed! :P

[KamaAina]

28. Actually Guam has everyone beat

that's where Hormel rolls out new flavors like the Tabasco one.

[stevebreeze]

47. I like it just cold out of the can on toast. MMMMM

[AnArmyVeteran]

46. Spam Rationing: "Oh the humanity!"

[spotbird]

19. MSNBC Two foot waves predicted

in Hawaii. Navy not moving ships to sea.

Danger not severe.

[Hekate]

29. A 2-ft wave under a ship far out at sea translates to something MUCH bigger when it hits land...

... as the slope of the island undersea mountain or the continental shelf causes the water to accelerate and climb. The NOAA buoys record what it is out at sea, the scientists extrapolate from that.

Also there can be successive waves.

Hekate

[northofdenali]

20. Waiting with our Southern Sister with thoughts and prayers.

This isn't one we sent you this time, Hawaii! I am SO glad that there are updated sensors in place to give you all plenty of notice.

Hugs and very best of luck to our Sister State.

[SandWalker1984]

21. Can anyone explain why.....

there's an earthquake in Chili and tsunami warnings go out in all directions, but the massive earthquake in Haiti did not cause a tsunami?? :shrug:

[meeshrox]

23. It has to do with the geometry of the underground fault...

and the way the plates moved. The Haiti earthquake was more of a horizontal slip and the Chilean earthquake was more vertical...if that makes sense.

The USGS did look for the possibility in Haiti and the Caribbean, just in case. But, there was no tsunami generated...

[liberation]

27. First off, It is Chile (the country) not Chili (the food).

Tsunamis are produced if the earth quake's epicenters are either under the ocean floor, or close enough to the coast line. Haiti's earthquake was inland, thus the seismic waves were not strong enough by the time they reached the ocean to transmit enough energy into the ocean as to trigger a big tsunami-like wavefront.

[CreekDog]

34. The depth of the ocean is one factor as the Caribbean is much shallower

the Haiti earthquake was many, many times smaller

the greatest movement in this earthquake was at sea in deep water

however you look at it, this earthquake simply moved a larger volume of water in a smaller area than the Haiti quake.

[Change Happens]

25. We should know by now? Something floating in the pacific should have picked up something? How high?

[Change Happens]

26. We should know by now? Something floating in the pacific should have picked up something? How high?

[meeshrox]

30. The way tsunamis are expressed in the ocean are different

from the way they are expressed just offshore or on land...

In the middle of the ocean, the wave heights are only a few feet. But, when they get into shallower water, off the coast, the energy is pushed up along the ocean bottom. That's what creates the height of the wave.

We do not know how high it will be until it hits, unfortunately. There are reports that they expect it to be a couple of feet high in Hawaii. But, in the Juan Fernandez Islands, just off the coast of Chile, the waves were 130 feet high. A further distance out, on Easter Island, the waves were only a few feet. I'm sure that they pick up a small wave in the open ocean with buoys, but they won't know how it will react to the shallower ocean bottom until it happens.

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. In the middle of the ocean you feel a bump

best case.

[Tailormyst]

31. My uncle is vacationing there and is updating on his facebook.

He said all the stores and coffee shops near his hotel on Oahu are closed. They are just waiting now.

[Baclava]

32. Local Hawaii news reports expect 6 ft waves

Similar 6 ft waves now reported from the Marquesas Islands

http://www.khon2.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=3299&navCatId=4

[sam sarrha]

35. it should hit Hawaii about 4:00 pm EST

[kentauros]

36. What about New Zealand?

They're directly across from Chile, but no mention in the article about their getting a tsunami...

[Dead_Parrot]

39. A few evacuations, 1m waves in a few spots

No major dramas (so far, anyway)
Updates: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3384728/Tsunami-alert-for-New-Zealand-after-massive-Chile-quake

[kentauros]

41. Yeah, I just found an article with a prediction of 3m waves

due 6-12 hours after the initial waves. 3 meters is pretty impressive. My girlfriend just moved to Christchurch, so I hope she's on higher ground now...

[kentauros]

40. Okay, I found an article for those that care:

Chile earthquake: tsunami hits New Zealand

The first waves of the tsunami triggered by the earthquake in Chile have hit New Zealand's eastern Chatham Islands and officials have warned bigger waves are to follow.

By Philip Sherwell in New York
Published: 6:25PM GMT 27 Feb 2010

New Zealand's entire east coast is at risk with waves up to three metres (10 feet) expected to hit the Chatham Islands and Banks Peninsula, near the main South Island city of Christchurch.

"It is expected that the greatest wave heights will occur between six and 12 hours after the initial arrivals," the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management said in a statement.

Residents on the Chatham Islands were moved to higher ground several hours before the first wave struck and residents in low-lying areas of Banks Peninsula had been told to be prepared to evacuate.

The biggest tsunami warning in history was marked by alarm sirens, panic buying and mass evacuations across the Pacific, eastern Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

more at link...

[DesertRat]

38. Watch live streaming from Hawaiian tv

http://tvsearchparty.com/

[KakistocracyHater]

43. I keep thinking about the ancient Greeks & Romans Poseidon made earth-

quakes & modern authors were puzzling over why a God of the Sea would be associated with earthquakes. The recent tsunamis I think have answered the question. It must have looked to the ancients like the Sea God attacked the land by first shaking it & then Poseidon's second attack is by sending a giant ocean wave against the land.

msnbc, cnn , faux, & the weather ch all have live cameras waiting & watching from Hawaii.

[AnArmyVeteran]

44. HAWAII TSUNAMI UPDATE: 2/27/10 425pm CST (1125am Hawaii time)

I just talked with a friend in Hawaii about the tsunami warnings. People are having 'watch parties' on overlooks on the islands, bringing coolers, drinking beer & wine and watching the water. So far, the water has receded some followed by waves, but nothing dramatic or dangerous. Lower areas are being evacuated. Stores in many locations on the islands are limiting the amount of bottled water you can buy.

On the island of Oahu the cast of "Lost" was moved to the top floors of the resort they are staying at. (I don't know if that meant that typical, 'lowly' tourists are going to be forced to tough it out on the first floor or not :).

On the Big Island small shop owners in Kona are putting a lot of their merchandise up on shelves or getting it off the floors just in case a tsunami hits.