Tsunami advisory issued for Hawaii and entire West Coast

A tsunami advisory is in effect for the entire US Pacific seaboard and Hawaii after a massive undersea volcanic eruption triggered a 7.4 magnitude earthquake near Tonga.

‘A tsunami capable of producing strong currents that may be hazardous to swimmers, boats, and coastal structures is expected,’ the National Weather Service said in a flash bulletin on Saturday morning.

‘If you are located in this coastal area, move off the beach and out of harbors and marinas. Do not go to the coast to watch the tsunami. Be alert to instructions from your local emergency officials,’ the agency warned.

Early on Saturday, Hawaii was already seeing tsunami wave activity of up to 2.7 feet. The mainland advisory now extends from California‘s border with Mexico to Attu Island at the tip of Alaska‘s Aleutian Islands.

The tsunami is projected to hit Monterey, California at 7.35am PST, where officials say it is not expected to cause widespread inundation, but rather coastal hazards.

In Tonga, the eruption sent large tsunami waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground.   

The ‘violent’ underwater volcanic eruption in the Pacific at 5.10pm local time Friday – which was visible from space – was confirmed as the cause of the tsunami, which overwhelmed homes, buildings, fences, roads and cars in Tonga around 20 minutes later. 

In Tonga, an island group in the southern Pacific, locals pleaded for people to ‘pray for us’ as the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption was compared to ‘bombs going off’ by those who heard it, followed by the tsunami surging ashore.

The Islands Business news site reported that a convoy of police and military troops evacuated Tonga’s King Tupou VI from his palace near the shore. He was among the many residents who headed for higher ground. 

New Zealand’s military said it was monitoring the situation and remained on standby, ready to assist if asked.

The eruption could be heard thousands of miles away and sparked warnings in New Zealand, Fiji, American Samoa and Australia, with several Australian offshore territories under threat, including Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island and Macquarie Island, officials said. 

Residents of American Samoa were alerted of the tsunami warning by local broadcasters as well as church bells that rang territory-wide. 

An outdoor siren warning system was out of service. Those living along the shoreline quickly moved to higher ground.

As night fell, there were no reports of any damage and the Hawaii-based tsunami center canceled the alert for American Samoa.

Authorities in the nearby island nations of Fiji and Samoa also issued warnings, telling people to avoid the shoreline due to strong currents and dangerous waves. 

The Japan Meteorological Agency said there may be a slight swelling of the water along the Japanese coasts, but it was not expected to cause any damage. 

Satellite images showed a huge eruption, a three-mile wide plume of ash, steam and gas rising like a mushroom about 12 above the blue Pacific waters. 

© Provided by Daily Mail
Pictured: Satellite imagery shows the underwater explosion (left). The images showed a 3 mile wide plume rising into the air to about 12 miles

© Provided by Daily Mail
In this satellite image taken by Himawari-8, a Japanese weather satellite, and released by the agency, shows an undersea volcano eruption at the Pacific nation of Tonga Saturday

‘A 1.2 metre tsunami wave has been observed at Nukualofa,’ Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology tweeted. The maximum tsunami wave recorded following an explosion in the region on Friday was 30 centimetres.

The Tonga Meteorological Services said the tsunami warning was in effect for all of Tonga.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or the extent of the damage as communications with the small nation remained problematic. 

The eruption was so intense it was heard as ‘loud thunder sounds’ in Fiji more than 500 miles away, officials in Suva said.  

Victorina Kioa of the Tonga Public Service Commission said Friday that people should ‘keep away from areas of warning which are low-lying coastal areas, reefs and beaches.’

The head of Tonga Geological Services Taaniela Kula urged people to stay indoors, wear a mask if they were outside and cover rainwater reservoirs and rainwater harvesting systems.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a ‘tsunami advisory’ for American Samoa, saying there was a threat of ‘sea level fluctuations and strong ocean currents that could be a hazard along beaches.’

Authorities in Fiji also issued a warning, telling people to avoid the shoreline due to strong currents and dangerous waves. Fijian officials also warned residents to cover water collection tanks in case of acidic rain fall. 

New Zealand’s military said it was monitoring the situation and remained on standby, ready to assist if asked. 

Residents of American Samoa were alerted of the tsunami warning by local broadcasters as well as church bells that rang territory-wide. An outdoor siren warning system was out of service. Those living along the shoreline quickly moved to higher ground.

As night fell, there were no reports of any damage and the Hawaii-based tsunami center canceled the alert.

Authorities in the nearby island nations of Fiji and Samoa also issued warnings, telling people to avoid the shoreline due to strong currents and dangerous waves. 

The Japan Meteorological Agency said there may be a slight swelling of the water along the Japanese coasts, but it was not expected to cause any damage. 

The Islands Business news site reported that a convoy of police and military troops evacuated Tonga’s King Tupou VI from his palace near the shore as residents headed for higher ground.

The explosion of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano was the latest in a series of spectacular eruptions.

Mere Taufa said she was in her house getting ready for dinner when the volcano erupted.

‘It was massive, the ground shook, our house was shaking. It came in waves. My younger brother thought bombs were exploding nearby,’ Taufa told the Stuff news website.

She said water filled their home minutes later and she saw the wall of a neighbouring house collapse.

‘We just knew straight away it was a tsunami. Just water gushing into our home.

‘You could just hear screams everywhere, people screaming for safety, for everyone to get to higher ground.’ 

A Twitter user identified as Dr Faka’iloatonga Taumoefolau posted video showing waves crashing ashore.

© Provided by Daily Mail
This picture taken on December 21, 2021 shows white gaseous clouds rising from the Hunga Ha’apai eruption seen from the Patangata coastline near Tongan capital Nuku’alofa

‘Can literally hear the volcano eruption, sounds pretty violent,’ he wrote, adding in a later post: ‘Raining ash and tiny pebbles, darkness blanketing the sky.’

Earlier, the Matangi Tonga news site reported that scientists had observed massive explosions, thunder and lightning near the volcano after it started erupting Friday.

The site said satellite images showed a three-mile-wide plume of ash, steam and gas rising about 12 miles into the air.

More than 1,400 miles away in New Zealand, officials warned of storm surges from the eruption.

The National Emergency Management Agency said some parts could expect ‘strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore following a large volcanic eruption’.

Late on Saturday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the threat to American Samoa appeared to have passed, although minor sea fluctuations could continue. 

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano sits on an uninhabited island about 40 miles north of the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa. 

In late 2014 and early 2015, a series of eruptions in the area created a small island and disrupted international air travel to the Pacific archipelago for several days.

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