Tuvalu Braces For Inundation - Tides Will Swamp Atolls This Week

[hatrack]

"Weather authorities in Tuvalu have warned that their small south Pacific nation is likely to be inundated by unusual tides later this week. Tuvalu, home to 11,500 people living on nine scattered atolls all less than 4.5 metres above sea level, will be hit Thursday and Friday by "king tides" associated with the new moon, Hilia Vavae of the Tuvalu Meteorological Office said.

"We are not quite sure what will happen but we expect most of the areas will be flooded by the sea for an hour or so," she said. On Thursday at 4:40pm local time, the tide will peak at 3.07 metres and on Friday at 5:19pm will reach 3.1 metres.

EDIT

Over the last decade, successive Tuvalu leaders have claimed their state will be the first victim of sea level rise associated with global warming. They have used the argument to claim special immigration access to New Zealand and recently were in discussion with another Pacific state, Niue, on moving their people there.

Niue last month was severely damaged by a cyclone. Ms Vavae said the local people tended not to be concerned by the king tides although successive high tides had left the island's once fresh water lens too brackish for use any more.Z"

EDIT

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1046123.htm

[ochazuke]

1. What'll happen to all those dot-TV web sites? <eom>