Hawaii lifts tsunami alert after 100,000 flee
Source: Agencies |
October 29, 2012, Monday
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A tsunami warning prompted by a powerful earthquake off the Canadian coast sent at least 100,000 people fleeing from shore to higher ground in Hawaii, but an evacuation order was canceled after a series of weaker-than-expected waves rolled through the islands.
The warning was downgraded to an advisory - a lower-level alert - shortly after 1 am yesterday, though state civil defense authorities said beaches and harbors would remain closed for now, and residents were urged to stay away from the water.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, serious flooding or damage, but officials warned that abrupt changes in sea level and strong currents could still pose a hazard to swimmers and boaters.
"The threat may continue for several hours," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in its alert.
While scientists had warned early on that waves as tall 1.8 meters could occur in places, tsunami wave activity was reported to have peaked at just 0.8 meters at the island of Maui shortly after 10:30pm.
"The tsunami arrived about when we expected it should," Senior Geophysicist Gerard Fryer told a news conference, saying: "I was expecting it to be a little bigger."
Tsunami warning sirens began blaring across the islands at 8pm on Saturday as state officials ordered a coastal evacuation, creating a mass exodus that clogged roadways as motorists fled low-lying areas.
Vindell Hsu, a geophysicist at the tsunami warning center, said the evacuation hit around 100,000 to 150,000 people who live in Hawaii's coastal zones.
The warning was downgraded to an advisory - a lower-level alert - shortly after 1 am yesterday, though state civil defense authorities said beaches and harbors would remain closed for now, and residents were urged to stay away from the water.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, serious flooding or damage, but officials warned that abrupt changes in sea level and strong currents could still pose a hazard to swimmers and boaters.
"The threat may continue for several hours," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in its alert.
While scientists had warned early on that waves as tall 1.8 meters could occur in places, tsunami wave activity was reported to have peaked at just 0.8 meters at the island of Maui shortly after 10:30pm.
"The tsunami arrived about when we expected it should," Senior Geophysicist Gerard Fryer told a news conference, saying: "I was expecting it to be a little bigger."
Tsunami warning sirens began blaring across the islands at 8pm on Saturday as state officials ordered a coastal evacuation, creating a mass exodus that clogged roadways as motorists fled low-lying areas.
Vindell Hsu, a geophysicist at the tsunami warning center, said the evacuation hit around 100,000 to 150,000 people who live in Hawaii's coastal zones.
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