Tsunami warning in Tonga after giant eruption

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www.bbc.com

Get away from shore - US and Japan warn on tsunami

Both countries advise people on the coast to move away from water after waves cross ocean from South Pacific.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
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 of the Pacific island have been urged to move to higher ground.

It is the latest in a series of eruptions of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano.
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The eight-minute eruption was so violent it could be heard as "loud thunder sounds" in Fiji, more than 800km away, officials in the capital Suva said.

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

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai lies about 65km north of the Tongan capital.
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NEWFM 1053​

4h ·
LOCAL NEWS: Tsunami warning has been issued by the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology for New South Wales including NEWCASTLE following underwater volcanic activity near Tonga
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Satellite footage of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano erupting on Saturday evening with a 5km plume of ash, gas and steam rising into the air.
MARINE THREAT for NSW
For the marine environment over all coastal areas there is the possibility of DANGEROUS RIPS, WAVES AND STRONG OCEAN CURRENTS, AND SOME LOCALISED OVERFLOW ONTO THE IMMEDIATE FORESHORE commencing after 8:45 pm (AEDT) Saturday and persisting for several hours.
While evacuations are not necessary for Marine Threat areas, people in these
areas are advised to get out of the water and move away from the immediate
water's edge.
The NEXT UPDATE will be issued by 10:06 PM AEDT on Saturday 15 January 2022
For latest and further information on tsunami warnings, please call 1300 TSUNAMI
(1300 878 626) or visit www.bom.gov.au/tsunami
 
www.bbc.com

Get away from shore - US and Japan warn on tsunami

Both countries advise people on the coast to move away from water after waves cross ocean from South Pacific.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com


The US and Japan have advised people on their Pacific coastlines to get away from the shore as a precaution against tsunami waves caused by a volcano eruption in the South Pacific.

Japan has warned of waves as high as three metres, and waves of 1.2 metres hit the south of the country.

The US warned of strong currents and waves, and coastal flooding.

The huge underwater volcanic eruption caused waves of more than a metre to crash into Tonga.

The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano was heard across the South Pacific, and eventually as far away as the US.

Many parts of Tonga, whose capital is just 65km (40 miles) south of the eruption, are covered in ash and are experiencing a near-total blackout of power, phone lines and internet services. The extent of any injuries or damage is still unclear.
 
www.reuters.com

Significant tsunami damage feared in Tonga, communications still cut

Tsunami-hit Tonga remained largely uncontactable on Sunday with telephone and internet links severed, leaving relatives in faraway New Zealand praying for their families on the Pacific islands as casualty reports had yet to come through.
www.reuters.com www.reuters.com

"There are no official reports of injuries or deaths in Tonga as yet although communications are limited and contact has not been established with outlying coastal areas beyond the capital Nuku'alofa and closer to the volcano, Jacinda Ardern the Prime Minister of New Zealand told a news conference on Sunday"

"Official damage assessments were not yet available, she said, but the New Zealand high commission in Nuku'alofa had told her the tsunami has had a significant impact on the foreshore on the northern side of Nuku'alofa, with boats and large boulders washed ashore."

"Australia said it will send a P8 surveillance aircraft to Tonga on Monday to assess damage to critical infrastructure such as roads, ports and power lines, which will determine the next phase of the response effort"



Boats are one thing, but "Large boulders washed ashore"... :( We'll only really know tomorrow.
 
Apparently quite significant surface damage:
www.bbc.com

Pacific volcano: New Zealand sends flight to assess Tonga damage

Up to 80,000 people could be affected after tsunami waves caused "significant damage" to Tonga.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
Information from Tonga is scarce but no deaths have been reported so far.

Locals say Tonga looks "like a moonscape" after being coated in a layer of volcanic ash.
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The old islands and volcano were mostly obliterated:
Scientists got their first look at Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai post-eruption on Saturday when the EU's Sentinel-1A satellite flew overhead.

This spacecraft is a radar platform and can see through obscuring cloud and ash to the surface below.

It showed clearly that much of the crater rim that stood above the ocean waters had been destroyed - a testament to the ferocity of the blast.
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Last edited:
The Trutherizer said:
...............

"Australia said it will send a P8 surveillance aircraft to Tonga on Monday to assess damage to critical infrastructure such as roads, ports and power lines, which will determine the next phase of the response effort"

............
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Will Australia also assess whether the people is vaccinated, before they decide on response effort?
 
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