PHNO-HL: HAWAII RATTLED BY TSUNAMI WARNING AFTER CANADA QUAKE

HAWAII RATTLED BY TSUNAMI WARNING AFTER CANADA
QUAKE

[PHOTO -Hawaii was hit by a tsunami on Saturday night
prompting the authorities to order at least 100,000 people on the island state
to move to higher ground.]

HONOLULU, OCTOBER 29, 2012
(INQUIRER) By Walter Wright Agence
France-Presse - A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake off Canada's west
coast that set off a tsunami warning emptied restaurants, bars and theaters in
Hawaii and sent rattled residents fleeing beach areas.
But only relatively small waves rolled to shore on the island of Oahu, and
the US Tsunami Warning Center later issued an advisory saying the worst was
over.

[PHOTO -Lyndon Fong of Honolulu fills up his gas tank after learning of
a tsunami warning Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012, in Honolulu. Countless Halloween
parties were interrupted, restaurants, bars and movie theaters emptied, and
highways quickly filled with cars heading away from beach areas. AP PHOTO/EUGENE TANNER]
No damage was reported either in Hawaii or in the Charlotte Islands north of
Vancouver where the earthquake struck at 0304 GMT Sunday 86 miles (139
kilometers) south of Masset, the archipelago's largest town.
"Based on all available data the tsunami threat has decreased and is now at
the advisory level and not expected to increase," the Hawaii-based Pacific
Tsunami Warning Center announced.
The center warned, however, that sea level changes and strong currents could
still occur and present a hazard for swimmers and boaters.
"The threat may continue for several hours," the center cautioned.
In Canada, the government's emergency services agency said, "No areas of
coastal British Columbia remain at risk from this event."
But in the immediate aftermath of the quake, which was followed by strong
aftershocks, residents of Hawaii were suddenly spurred into action by a warning
that a tsunami generated by the quake was headed their way.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which initially said there was no
"destructive widespread tsunami threat," later revised the advisory to say a
tsunami was headed for Hawaii.
Sirens blared across Hawaii and local officials took to the airwaves, urging
residents to head for higher ground – or higher floors if they were in
multi-story buildings.
Countless Halloween parties were interrupted, restaurants, bars and movie
theaters emptied, and highways quickly filled with cars heading away from beach
areas.
Tourists from Waikiki to Turtle Bay in Honolulu were evacuated to higher
floors in their hotels, and major tourist centers looked abandoned for several
hours.
Governor Neil Abercrombie declared a state of emergency when the first alert
was sounded and kept it in force.
"We are taking a wait-and-see approach – we want everyone to be safe," said
the governor's spokesperson, Donalyn Dela Cruz.
In Canada, residents of the sparsely populated Queen Charlotte Islands
appeared to have taken the quake and tsunami warning in stride.
"The tsunami alarm went off and everybody went to the evacuation site," Danny
Escott, owner of the Escott Sportfishing lodge near Masset, told AFP by
telephone.
Emergency officials in British Columbia urged residents in low-lying coastal
areas to be alert to instructions from local officials and be prepared to move
to higher ground.
But officials in Canada sought to calm the population.
"We would not be expecting any widespread damage or inundation," Kelli
Kryzanowski of Emergency Management British Columbia told reporters during a
teleconference.
Natural Resources Canada said in a statement that the quake was felt across
much of north-central British Columbia, including Haida Gwaii as the Queen
Charlotte Islands are also called, Prince Rupert, Quesnel, and Houston.
"There have been no reports of damage at this time," the agency said.
Gerard Fryer, a senior geophysicist with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center,
said quakes exceeding magnitude 7.0 should not be taken lightly.
"A 7.7 is a big, hefty earthquake. It's not something you can ignore," he
told CNN International.
He said it had struck partly under an island, but mostly under shallow water.

"I think we have to be thankful it happened where it did," Fryer said. "If
that were a heavily populated area, it would have caused significant damage."

The Queen Charlotte Islands, also known by their indigenous name of Haida
Gwaii, comprise about 150 islands located north of Canada's Vancouver Island.

Only about 5,000 people live on the islands, about 45 percent of them
indigenous Haida people. \
7.7 earthquake on islands off west coast of Canada –
USGS Agence France-Presse 11:58 am | Sunday, October 28th, 2012 Share
on facebook_likeShare 15
VANCOUVER – A strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook the Queen Charlotte
Islands off the west coast of Canada late Saturday, US government researchers
said.
The epicenter of the tremor, which occurred at 8:04 local time (0304 GMT
Sunday) was located 139 kilometers (86 miles) south of the town of Masset, the
US Geological Survey said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat of a tsunami at
this time.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The earthquake reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale
used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and
the total energy released.


Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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rights reserved




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