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Tsunami hits Tonga after giant underwater volcano erupted

BabyBlade

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BabyBlade

BabyBlade

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Tsunami waves caused by a giant underwater volcanic eruption have hit the Pacific country of Tonga.

Social media footage showed water washing through a church and several homes, and witnesses said ash was falling over the capital, Nuku'alofa.

A tsunami warning sent residents scrambling to higher ground.

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano sent shockwaves across the South Pacific.

Tonga's capital lies just 65km north of the volcano.

One Tongan resident, Mere Taufa, said the eruption hit as her family was preparing for dinner, and her younger brother thought bombs were exploding nearby.

"My first instinct was to take cover under the table, I grabbed my little sister, and screamed at my parents and others in the house to do the same," New Zealand news site Stuff.co.nz quoted her as saying.

Ms Taufa said the next thing she knew, water was rushing into their home.

"You could just hear screams everywhere, people screaming for safety, for everyone to get to higher ground," she added.

The plumes of gas, smoke and ash pouring from the volcano reached 20km into the sky, Tonga Geological Services said.

The eight-minute eruption was so violent it could be heard as "loud thunder sounds" in Fiji, more than 800km (500 miles) away, according to officials in the capital Suva. The Fijian Government has issued a tsunami advisory and opened evacuation centres for people in low-lying coastal areas.

In New Zealand, which is more than 2,300km away, officials have warned of storm surges.

The National Emergency Management Agency said coastal areas on the north and east coast of the North Island could see "strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore".

Local forecaster Weather Watch tweeted: "The energy release is simply astonishing", adding: "Reports of people hearing the sonic booms across New Zealand."

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-60007119

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Playtime

Playtime

Twincharged

When I first saw the eruption video on another site  I thought it was CGI... 

 

And those cars seem to be driving very slowly.. maybe islanders more relax. 

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BabyBlade

BabyBlade

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14 hours ago, Playtime said:

When I first saw the eruption video on another site  I thought it was CGI... 

 

And those cars seem to be driving very slowly.. maybe islanders more relax. 

I saw the BBC news on fb when I woke up. And it was an image of the eruption from satellite with the words in red saying BREAKING NEWS. Thought one of the meteor that was supposed to passby Earth made it to land sia. Damn scary if that was the case. 😂

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Ct3833

Ct3833

Supersonic
10 minutes ago, BabyBlade said:

I saw the BBC news on fb when I woke up. And it was an image of the eruption from satellite with the words in red saying BREAKING NEWS. Thought one of the meteor that was supposed to passby Earth made it to land sia. Damn scary if that was the case. 😂

The fact that you can wake up from your sleep  after a disaster strike that means no scare already. 

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Playtime

Playtime

Twincharged
3 hours ago, Ct3833 said:

The fact that you can wake up from your sleep  after a disaster strike that means no scare already. 

Not really...

Depending on size,  a asteroid strike may not kill all immediately,  but the climate change later could kill off most... similar to what happened to dinosaurs. It's almost certain that many survived the immediate impact to due later due to climate change.... and they basically eat plants with no need for complicated society to farm and distribute. 

 

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kobayashiGT

kobayashiGT

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tonga.png

Source: https://mothership.sg/2022/01/underwater-volcano-tonga-erupts/

A massive volcanic eruption off the coast of the Pacific Island country of Tonga on Jan. 15 has cut off phone and internet communications for its 105,000 residents.

Felt around the world

The earthquake caused by the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano recorded a magnitude of 5.8.

The eruption lasted for eight minutes and caused a 1.2m tsunami wave in Tonga's capital 64km away, according to the Bureau of Meteorology in Australia.

The sonic boom from the eruption was audible even in Alaska, said the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute.

Waves were observed in American Samoa and Fiji, while tsunami warnings were triggered across the Pacific in Australia, Japan, and the west coast of the United States, reported The Guardian.

Telecommunications affected

AP News reported that the eruption severed communications with Tonga about 1.5 hours after the eruption at around 6:40pm local time, likely due to damage to the undersea internet cable between Tonga and Fiji.

It is very unusual for a volcanic eruption to affect an entire ocean basin, said tsunami warning coordinator for the National Tsunami Warning Center Dave Snider.

While the tsunami waves caused damage to boats as far away as New Zealand and Santa Cruz, California, there has not been any widespread damage.

The tsunami threat from the eruption has now passed, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

No deaths or injuries so far

The New Zealand government has since made contact with its embassy in Tonga's capital, said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a press conference on Jan. 16.

Ardern said that Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa has suffered “significant damage", reported The Japan Times.

“Nuku’alofa is covered in a thick film of volcanic dust, but otherwise conditions are calm and stable,” said Ardern.

She noted that no deaths or injuries have been reported so far, but added that authorities have not yet made contact with some coastal areas and smaller islands.

Ardern has also made an initial pledge of NZ$500,000 (S$458,000) in financial aid to Tonga.

Given the presence of ash clouds in the area, she announced that New Zealand will be sending a reconnaissance flight as soon as atmospheric conditions allow.

 

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kobayashiGT

kobayashiGT

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51 minutes ago, Watwheels said:

It is in the middle of nowhere. 😓

Erm. that's is a good thing i suppose.

Imagine this happen to mount fuji or mount bromo. that one more shag. 😫

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bsswan

bsswan

6th Gear
3 hours ago, kobayashiGT said:

Waves were observed in American Samoa and Fiji, while tsunami warnings were triggered across the Pacific in Australia, Japan, and the west coast of the United States, reported The Guardian.

Reports of some deaths in Peru due to high seas.

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