Tsunami warning in Tonga after giant eruption

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Tsunami warnings have been issued in several countries including Tonga, Fiji, and New Zealand, after a giant underwater volcano eruption.


Social media footage from Tonga showed waves washing through a church and several homes. Witnesses said ash is falling over the capital, Nuku'alofa.


Residents there have been urged to move to higher ground.


It is the latest in a series of eruptions of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano.


The eight-minute eruption was so violent it could be heard as "loud thunder sounds" in Fiji, more than 800km (500 miles) away, officials in the capital Suva said.


The plumes of gas, smoke and ash pouring from the volcano reached 20km (12 miles) into the sky, said Tonga Geological Services.

Tsunami warning in Tonga after giant eruption - BBC News

Well fuck.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1482228176210202633

Damn!

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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.
Tsunami hits Tonga after giant volcano eruption - BBC News

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Volcanic eruption near Tonga felt like 'bombs were exploding', panic on the ground as tsunami waves hit
22:11, Jan 15 2022

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Pacific Islands and NZ

Tsunami alerts have been issued for Fiji, Samoa, American Samoa, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. Residents of low-lying areas were urged to move to higher ground. New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency sent a National Advisory alert to notify of tsunami activity.

"We expect New Zealand coastal areas on the north and east coast of the North Island and the Chatham Islands to experience strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore," it tweeted.

The New Zealand Defence Force says it is monitoring the situation in Tonga and is ready to assist if requested by the Tongan Government. So far no request has been made.

There have been multiple reports on New Zealand social media pages of loud booms being heard and houses shaking on Saturday evening. The booms have been reported all over the country from Tauranga to Invercargill.

That is some amazing and horrifying video.

Hope everyone gets out with their lives.

Tsunami advisory in effect for US as waves hit Tonga following volcanic eruption


A tsunami has hit Tonga's largest island, Tongatapu, and reportedly sent waves flooding into the capital after an underwater volcano in the South Pacific exploded in a violent eruption on Saturday, sending a cloud of ash and gas steam into the air.


A tsunami warning has been issued for the islands of Tonga. Tsunami advisories have also been issued for New Zealand's North Island and the west coast of the United States from California to Alaska, as well as Canada's British Columbia.

Waves crossed the shoreline of Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa, on Saturday, flowing onto coastal roads and flooding properties, according to CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand (RNZ).

Tonga's King Tupou VI was evacuated from the Royal Palace after the tsunami flooded the capital, RNZ reported, citing local media reports that a convoy of police and troops rushed the monarch to a villa at Mata Ki Eua.


Residents headed for higher ground, RNZ said, as waves swept the palace grounds, waterfront and main street.


Ash was falling from the sky in Nuku'alofa on Saturday evening and phone connections were down, RNZ said.


The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano first erupted Friday, sending a plume of ash 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) into the air, according to RNZ.


A second eruption hit on Saturday at 5:26 p.m. local time, RNZ reported.


Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said it recorded a tsunami wave of 1.2 meters (about 4 feet) near Nuku'alofa at 5:30 p.m. local time on Saturday.


The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves of 2.7 feet (83 cm) were observed by gauges at Nuku'alofa and waves of 2 feet at Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa, Reuters reported.


Jese Tuisinu, a television reporter at Fiji One, posted a video on Twitter showing large waves washing ashore, with people trying to escape the incoming water in their vehicles. "It is literally dark in parts of Tonga and people are rushing to safety following the eruption," he said in another tweet.

The volcano is located about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) southeast of Tonga's Fonuafo'ou island, according to RNZ, and about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Nuku'alofa.


In addition to the tsunami warning, Tonga's Meteorological Services have issued advisories for heavy rain, flash flooding and strong winds in lands and coastal waters.


The nearby island of Fiji has also issued a public advisory asking people living in low lying coastal areas to "move to safety in anticipation of the strong currents and dangerous waves."


A tsunami advisory is also in effect for the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, according to its National Disaster Management Office, with residents advised to move away from the coastline and seek higher ground.


A tsunami watch is in effect for all Samoan low-lying coastal areas, the Samoa Meteorological Service said. "All people living on low-lying coastal areas are advised to stay away from beach areas," the agency said, and the public should refrain from visiting coastal areas.


Warning for US


A tsunami advisory is now in effect for the US west coast including the states of California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, according to the NWS National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska.


Dave Snider, Tsunami Warning Coordinator at the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, told CNN, "We have seen the wave moving through Hawaiian Island."


Current observations are that the wave is one-to-two feet high heading toward the US mainland Pacific Coast. The estimated arrival time along the California Coast is 7 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time.


Speaking by telephone Snider noted, "We don't have a really good forecast because this event is based on a volcano rather than earthquake."


Snider notes this is currently an advisory and not a tsunami warning in effect for the US west coast following Tonga eruption.


Strong warnings from the National Weather Service Seattle was issued for the US Pacific Coast Saturday. "Move off the beach and out of harbors and marinas in these areas," NWS Seattle tweeted.


"Strong currents and larger waves are possible along these coastal areas. The first wave may not be largest," the agency went on to warn.


"Continue to stay out of the water and away from shore along the coastal areas and continue to monitor for updates."


New Zealand on alert


A tsunami advisory has also been issued for coastal areas on the north and east coast of New Zealand's North Island and the Chatham Islands, where "strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore" are expected, according to New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency.


New Zealand's official weather service said its weather stations across the country had observed "a pressure surge" on Saturday evening from the eruption.


Scientist Emily Lane, of New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, told the New Zealand Science Media Centre that it was a "very significant" eruption.


"The shock wave from it is clearly visible in satellite imagery and there are reports of the eruption being heard at least as far away as New Zealand," she said. "The tsunami from the eruption has reached over 2,500 km being recorded on gauges over all of Aotearoa."


Tsunamis generated by volcanoes are much less common than tsunamis from underwater earthquakes, Lane said.


A smaller eruption in late 2014/early 2015 built up the crater of the volcano to above the surface of the water, Lane added, but it's not yet clear exactly how Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai erupted on this occasion. "When we see what is left of the island after this eruption is over we can start to put together the pieces of what happened," she said.


Professor Shane Cronin, from the School of Environment at University of Auckland, told the New Zealand Science Media Centre that research into historical eruptions by the same volcano suggested that the current eruption episode could last for weeks or months "and that further similar-sized eruptions to the 15 January 2022 event are possible."


"The eruption is likely to result in significant ash fall (cm to ten cm) in Tongatapu as well as the Ha'apai group of islands," he said. "Help will be needed to restore drinking water supplies. People of Tonga must also remain vigilant for further eruptions and especially tsunami with short notice and should avoid low lying areas."


An earlier tsunami warning issued for American Samoa has since been canceled, according to the NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.


There is no tsunami threat to Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands from a "distant eruption," according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.


The volcano had been active from December 20, but was declared dormant on January 11, according to RNZ.



MSN

Hunga games will require Wonga for Tonga, reminds us of the force of tsunami and despite our apparent dominance nature is powerful. I wonder if animals headed for teh hills early as was widely reported in teh Andaman Isles during the 2004 Tsunami here

Has Willy started another crowd funder yet?

Think this is the only confirmed death to date, though no communication yet with the outlying islands

Missing British woman’s family ‘devastated’ after body found
Jan 18 2022

The brother of a British woman who went missing after a tsunami triggered by a volcano eruption swept Tonga says her body has been found.

Angela Glover, 50, the founder of an animal rescue shelter, was washed away by a wave during an attempt to save her dogs. Her husband, James, managed to cling on to a tree near their coastal home in Nuku’alofa, the Tongan capital.

Glover’s brother Nick Eleni told Sky News she had a “deep love of dogs” and loved living in Tonga. Glover and her husband had moved to the South Pacific nation after they married in 2015. James owned a tattoo shop called the Happy Sailor Tattoo Parlour.

Eleini had earlier told The Guardian: “I don’t think this is going to have a happy ending.”

^ Two in Peru died.


Despite huge volcano blast, Tonga avoids widespread disaster

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The blast from the volcano could be heard in Alaska, and the waves crossed the ocean to cause an oil spill and two drownings in Peru. The startling satellite images resembled a massive nuclear explosion.


And yet, despite sitting almost on top of the volcano that erupted so violently on Saturday, the Pacific nation of Tonga appears to have avoided the widespread disaster that many initially feared.


Perhaps the biggest problem is the ash that has coated the main island and transformed it into a gray moonscape, contaminating the rainwater that people rely on to drink. New Zealand’s military is sending fresh water and other much-needed supplies, but said Tuesday the ash covering Tonga’s main runway will delay the flight at least another day.

Tonga has so far reported two deaths, and concerns remain over the fate of people on two smaller islands that were hard hit. Communications have been down everywhere, making assessments more difficult.


But on the main island of Tongatapu, at least, life is slowly returning to normal. The tsunami that swept over coastal areas after the eruption was frightening for many but rose only about 80 centimeters (2.7 feet), allowing most to escape.


“We did hold grave fears, given the magnitude of what we saw in that unprecedented blast,” said Katie Greenwood, the head of delegation in the Pacific for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. “Fortunately, in those major population centers we are not seeing the catastrophic effect we thought might happen, and that’s very good news.”


Greenwood, who is based in Fiji and has been talking with people in Tonga by satellite phone, said an estimated 50 homes were destroyed on Tongatapu but that nobody needed to use emergency shelters. She said about 90 people on the nearby island of 'Eua were using shelters.


U.N. humanitarian officials and Tonga’s government has reported “significant infrastructural damage” around Tongatapu.


“There has been no contact from the Ha’apai Group of islands, and we are particularly concerned about two small low-lying islands — Mango and Fonoi — following surveillance flights confirming substantial property damage,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.


New Zealand’s High Commission in Tonga also reported significant damage along the western coast of Tongatapu, including to resorts and the waterfront area.


Like other island nations in the Pacific, Tonga is regularly exposed to the extremes of nature, whether it be cyclones or earthquakes, making people more resilient to the challenges they bring.


Indeed, Greenwood said Tonga does not want an influx of aid workers following the eruption. Tonga is one of the few remaining places in the world that has managed to avoid any outbreaks of the coronavirus, and officials fear that if outsiders bring in the virus it could create a much bigger disaster than the one they're already facing.


Another worry, said Greenwood, is that the volcano could erupt again. She said there is currently no working equipment around it which could help predict such an event.


Satellite images captured the spectacular eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano on Saturday, with a plume of ash, steam and gas rising like a giant mushroom above the South Pacific. The volcano is located about 64 kilometers (40 miles) north of Tonga's capital, Nuku’alofa.


Two people drowned in Peru, which also reported the oil spill after waves moved a ship that was transferring oil at a refinery.


In Tonga, British woman Angela Glover, 50, was one of those who died after being swept away by a wave, her family said.


Nick Eleini said his sister’s body had been found and that her husband survived. “I understand that this terrible accident came about as they tried to rescue their dogs,” Eleini told Sky News. He said it had been his sister’s life dream to live in the South Pacific and “she loved her life there.”


New Zealand’s military said it hoped the airfield in Tonga would be opened either Wednesday or Thursday. The military said it had considered an airdrop but that was “not the preference of the Tongan authorities.”


New Zealand also sent a navy ship to Tonga on Tuesday, with another planned to leave later in the day, and pledged an initial 1 million New Zealand dollars ($680,000) toward recovery efforts.


Australia sent a navy ship from Sydney to Brisbane to prepare for a support mission if needed.


Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday said China is preparing to send drinking water, food, personal protective equipment and other supplies to Tonga as soon as flights resume.


The U.N. World Food Program is exploring how to bring in relief supplies and more staff and has received a request to restore communication lines in Tonga, which is home to about 105,000 people, Dujarric said.


Communications with the island nation are limited because the single underwater fiber-optic cable that connects Tonga to the rest of the world was likely severed in the eruption. The company that owns the cable said the repairs could take weeks.


Samiuela Fonua, who chairs the board at Tonga Cable Ltd., said the cable appeared to have been severed soon after the eruption. He said the cable lies atop and within coral reef, which can be sharp.


Fonua said a ship would need to pull up the cable to assess the damage and then crews would need to fix it. A single break might take a week to repair, he said, while multiple breaks could take up to three weeks. He added that it was unclear when it would be safe for a ship to venture near the undersea volcano to undertake the work.


A second undersea cable that connects the islands within Tonga also appeared to have been severed, Fonua said. However, a local phone network was working, allowing Tongans to call each other. But he said the lingering ash cloud was continuing to make even satellite phone calls abroad difficult.


Despite huge volcano blast, Tonga avoids widespread disaster | Taiwan News | 2022-01-18 18:19:52

I must say I got a tsunami alert on my phone here in Seattle. I am used to getting amber alerts, but that was the first tsunami alert. I had to do a double take because we have a massive fault line here in the PNW. When the next big one hits here, it will be a full rip 9.0 out in the ocean and will be devastating.

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Originally Posted by bsnub

I must say I got a tsunami alert on my phone here in Seattle. I am used to getting amber alerts, but that was the first tsunami alert. I had to do a double take because we have a massive fault line here in the PNW. When the next big one hits here, it will be a full rip 9.0 out in the ocean and will be devastating.

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Can you let the USGS know.

^^ I had to turn off the amber alerts on my phone because it uses the same BRAAAAAAP BRAAAAAP as tornado warnings. Nothing like being woken up at 2 AM in ready-to-run mode.

Three of Tonga's smaller islands badly damaged by tsunami

SYDNEY (AP) — Three of Tonga's smaller islands suffered serious damage from tsunami waves, officials and the Red Cross said Wednesday, as a wider picture begins to emerge of the destruction caused by the eruption of an undersea volcano near the Pacific archipelago nation.


Communications have been down throughout Tonga since the eruption on Saturday, but a ship made it to the outlying islands of Nomuka, Mango and Fonoifua on Wednesday, and reported back that few homes remain standing after settlements were hit with 15-meter (49 feet) -high waves, said Katie Greenwood, the head of delegation in the Pacific for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which had two people aboard the vessel to help assess the damage.


“Very unfortunate information has come to light overnight about the three islands that we were really worried about — that they have all suffered devastating consequences as an effect of these incoming waves,” she told The Associated Press in an interview from Fiji. “Most of the structures and dwellings on those islands have been completely destroyed.”

It is not clear yet what assistance Tonga needs or wants from the international community, and complicating matters is the country's concern over the possible spread of COVID-19, which it has effectively kept outside its borders except for one case reported in a traveler from New Zealand in October.


Tonga is hoping for “almost contactless disaster relief” as a precaution, Greenwood said, acknowledging that this would complicate efforts but is also understandable amid the pandemic.


“They really don't want to exchange one disaster for another,” she said.


Some 60% of Tonga's 106,000 people have already received two doses of a COVID vaccine, and nearly 70% have received at least one dose, according to Our World in Data.


In anticipation of the country's needs, New Zealand has already sent two ships. One is carrying 250,000 liters (66,000 gallons) of water and a desalination plant with the capacity to produce 70,000 more liters (18,492 gallons) per day, and another is bringing a survey and diving team to help assess the damage to shipping channels, ports and wharf infrastructure.


They're expected to take three to four days to arrive, though one estimate was that they could be there as early as Friday, said Peeni Henare, New Zealand's defense minister.


“We don't know what the shipping lanes look like, and so we want to, of course, proceed with a bit of caution as we get closer to the Tongan islands,” he said.


New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said the teams en route would also be available to help if needed with the evacuation of the approximately 150 people who live on the devastated outlying islands.


“We stand ready to assist where it is useful to the government of Tonga, and where they are satisfied with COVID protocols,” she said.


Australia is also preparing to send aid by air and ship, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he expected to talk with his counterpart in Tonga later Wednesday to better understand what is needed.


“Our defense forces have stood up their operation and are deploying as necessary and directed,” he said. “So we feel deeply for our family in Tonga.”


The volcano coated the main island with a 2-centimeter (0.78 inch) layer of ash, which has rendered the 2.6-kilometer (1.6 miles) runway at Fua’amotu International Airport unusable.


Volunteers have been working to sweep ash away to clear a path for aid planes to land, and there was hope it may be ready as early as Thursday.


Mahuta said the runway was not thought to be damaged beneath the ash, but that they would not know for sure until it was all cleared.


A New Zealand reconnaissance aircraft has already flown over the impacted islands and provided the data to Tonga's government.


Communications have been severely restricted because the single underwater fiber-optic cable that connects Tonga to the rest of the world was likely severed in the eruption. The company that owns the cable said the repairs could take weeks.


Satellite images captured the spectacular eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano, with a plume of ash, steam and gas rising like a giant mushroom above the South Pacific. The volcano is located about 64 kilometers (40 miles) north of Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa.


The heavy amount of ash in the air has also meant that satellite communications have been sporadic but they are improving, Greenwood said.


So far, it seems the country has avoided the widespread devastation that many initially feared.


The government said Tuesday it has confirmed three deaths — two local residents and a British woman — though it has cautioned the toll is expected to rise as more reports come in from outlying areas.


On Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu, perhaps the biggest problem is the ash that has transformed it into a gray moonscape, contaminating the rainwater that people normally rely on to drink.


Greenwood said people had been warned in advance to protect their water supplies, and that clean drinking water remained the top need.


“Water is definitely, 100 percent, the top priority at this point in time, along with shelter needs,” she said.


Meantime, Tonga's Red Cross, which has about 20 people and 100 trained volunteers, is already distributing shelter kits and other supplies, she said.


In Sydney, the deputy president of the Tonga Australia Chamber of Commerce, Koniseti Liutai, said his organization was facilitating free shipping containers for members of the local Tongan community to send aid to their relatives back home.


In particular, he said they were trying to address specific needs they had identified, those of the elderly or disabled.


“We know that the government of Tonga and Australia and New Zealand and others are addressing food and water," he said. "We’re trying to be a little bit more specified for family requirements.”


Three of Tonga's smaller islands badly damaged by tsunami | Taiwan News | 2022-01-19 17:46:08

this eruption is timely reminder that it is mainly natural events that cause most climate change. wealthy countries will be able to mitigate for changes in the climate, but if we have followed the green lobby down the rabbit hole to poverty, we will be less able to do so.

this eruption and the ash and poisons it has belched into the atmosphere will probably have negated at least a couple of years of the so called gains made by the world in their insane rush towards the impossible holy grail of carbon neutrality.

we humans are powerless to alter things when it comes to the full force and unpredictability of mother nature.

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Originally Posted by taxexile

this eruption is timely reminder that it is mainly natural events that cause most climate change.

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not true

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKDWW9WlPSc

large volcanic eruptions will cause global cooling, which is a climate change.

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Originally Posted by taxexile

this eruption is timely reminder that it is mainly natural events that cause most climate change.

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not true

https://i.ibb.co/Sw8JM7X/human-factors.jpg

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Originally Posted by taxexile

this eruption is timely reminder that it is mainly natural events that cause most climate change.

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You are a fucking moron.

Good analysis of the underwater volcano is here

Photos from Tonga

In pictures: Tonga covered in ash, devastated by natural disaster
Jan 21 2022

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There is major damage next to the coastline

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Ash from the eruption of underwater volcano Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai has blanketed swathes of Tonga.

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Cleanup underway

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Damaged homes

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Dire. The world wants to help, but COVID scares them, and rightfully so.

Bidding for favour in the Pacific

Tonga inundated with aid as nations show concern – and vie for influence
Jan 28 2022

Tonga has been inundated with humanitarian aid and military assistance in the past two weeks – partly the result of concern about the impact of the volcanic eruption, and partly because neighbours near and far are vying for influence over the Pacific nation.

Navy ships from the United States, United Kingdom, French Polynesia and New Caledonia have arrived in Tongan waters, while China and Japan sent flights to Nuku’alofa to drop off supplies.

That’s in addition to pledges of more than $10m in aid, including USD$2.5 million from the United States this week.But Tonga has also been flooded with other items that weren’t requested, and probably weren’t needed, like the life jackets that China donated.

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Australian navy vessel HMAS Adelaide has arrived in Tonga

More than 400,000 litres of water have landed in Tonga, as well as food, tents, and other shelters, vital for allowing the Tongan people to get back on their feet.

New Zealand donated $3m, 250,000 litres of clean drinking water, and has a desalination plant in place which can provide 70,000 litres of water per day.

Australia has also donated millions to the cause, provided clean drinking water and a desalination plant, as well as food and shelter.

All aid was delivered in a contactless way.

New Zealand's richest person donates fishing boats, tractors and food to Tonga
February 17 2022

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Graeme Hart, who is thought to be worth $11 billion, contacted Aotearoa Tongan Relief Committee (ATRC) co-chairperson Jenny Salesa just after the disaster to offer support.

He asked Salesa to find out what was most needed following a devastating tsunami triggered by a massive underwater volcano on January 15.

After discussions with Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni, Salesa relayed a request for enough food to feed every child one breakfast meal, fishing boats and tractors to help till volcanic ash back into the soil.

His generosity meant 10 containers containing cereal, rice and other breakfast ingredients had already landed in Tonga. Now Hart has ordered 20 fishing boats from Fiji and 10 from New Caledonia to help replace the boats lost on the outer islands nearest the eruption. Salesa said the boats were vital in helping provide fish to remote communities.

Hart has also purchased eight new tractors that left Auckland on Wednesday. Originally ATRC sent 27 containers to Tonga including $2 million of groceries. The next shipment of 24 containers included 14 from the committee and 10 from Hart.

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The Australian Defence Force has been helping Tonga to clean up from the eruption and tsunami.