Tsunami alert for New Zealand downgraded after massive Chile quake

Civil Defence has downgraded New Zealand's tsunami warning to an advisory.

However, the Ministry warned there was still a likelihood of surges and rapid sea level changes in New Zealand following a massive earthquake in Chile which killed at least 300 people. The surges could continue for up to 24 hours after the initial wave arrivals.

"Wave heights could be larger than what we have currently experienced but within the threat levels and wave height estimates that have been previously forecast," it said in its latest statement.

Surges have been reported at beaches around the country, including in Northland, East Cape, Canterbury, Otago and Chatham Islands.

Strong currents were still expected in harbours and restricted waterways such as estuaries and river mouths while there was still a possibility of surges between one and three metres at the Chatham Islands and Banks Peninsula.

"This represents risks to people in boats and on beaches for coastal communities in the east coast of the North and South Island and particularly Chatham Islands and Banks Peninsula," national Civil Defence said.

Tsunami expert and Canterbury University emeritus professor of coastal studies Bob Kirk said based on the first two tsunamis in Lyttelton harbour today, a third was likely around 5pm, which is high tide.

The first tsunami was "of the order of 2m" in height. If it had hit at high tide it would have caused extensive flooding along the coast, around the Avon-Heathcote estuary, and in river mouths.

"That first wave is not chicken feed at all, that's a big one. If you were to mentally translate that to the. . .same position with the predicted high tide you can see 1m 60 or so of water there that would be over and above the high tide, and that's not trivial.

"They'll (civil defence) be watching this closely. It's a bit of a tense time until midnight tonight," Kirk said.

There was no guarantee the gap between the surges would remain at two hours, he said.

In the May 23, 1960 event, a 5m tsunami at high tide sent waves rushing into the estuary at 25km/h, flipped a cabin cruiser, set yachts adrift and left dinghies on the main road to Sumner.

Northland Civil Defence spokesman Matt Johnson said they were still experiencing "reasonably interesting fluctuations in sea levels and tidal surges" but expert advice suggested the main threat had passed.

They were not concerned about the possibility of high tide adding to the threat of the surges, saying the initial wave action had arrived not long after high tide this morning.

They still advised Northlanders to be cautious.

NZ FAMILY CAUGHT UP IN QUAKE DRAMA

Christchurch man Sean Gosling had a nervous wait as he sought news of his wife and daughter who were near the epicentre of last night's devastating earthquake in Chile.

Chile was rocked by an 8.8 magnitude quake last night which has killed at least 214 people, knocked down buildings and prompted a Pacific-wide tsunami warning.

Evelyn Fabiana Matamala Rojas and Paloma Sefia Gosling, 4, had been in Concepcion, the closest major settlement to the earthquake's epicentre for three weeks visiting Evelyn's family, Mr Gosling said.

The desperately worried father and husband had been frantically trying to get hold of the pair, trying friends, embassies, and any other methods of communication in a bid to try and track them down.

This morning, a friend in northern Chile, who had been given a long list of numbers to try by Mr Gosling, had managed to get hold of Evelyn's father who lives about 20 minutes out of Concepcion.

KEY SAYS NZ READY TO HELP

Prime Minister John Key today expressed sympathy on behalf of New Zealand, saying he was "shocked by the devastation".

"More than 200 people have died, but it's clear from media reports that the toll may rise.

New Zealand's government would priovide assistance to Chile on request, he said.

Source:stuff.co.nz/

World pledges aid to quake-hit Chile

PARIS, Feb 28 (AFP) - The United States and Europe vowed to come to Chile's aid as relief workers rushed to the Western hemisphere's second enormous earthquake in seven weeks.

But the Latin American country, reeling from the deaths of at least 300 people and a trail of destruction caused by Saturday's 8.8-magnitude quake, appealed for foreign donors to wait until the scale of the task is clear.

"We are very grateful for people's good intentions, but let's let the (Chilean) emergency office get its very specific report on needs done," Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez told reporters.

Chile does not want "aid from anywhere to be a distraction" from disaster relief, he said. "Any aid that arrives without having been determined to be needed really helps very little."

At least 1.5 million homes were damaged in the pre-dawn quake, roads were torn up and buildings reduced to rubble in the nation of 16 million people. The main international airport in the capital Santiago suffered heavy damage.

Much of Santiago was plunged into darkness. The country's second largest city, Concepcion, south of the capital, was near the epicenter of one of the largest quakes on record.

"We anticipate the situation in the worst-affected areas closer to the epicentre to be much more serious," said Pete Garratt, the disaster relief manager for Britain's Red Cross.

"Our fear is that this quake will have had large-scale impact."

UN chief Ban Ki-moon is "very closely monitoring developments, including the risk of Pacific Rim tsunamis, after the huge earthquake in Chile," his office said. A Pacific-wide tsunami alert was lifted, but Japan and Russia were still braced for super-sized waves.

US President Barack Obama pledged to meet any request for help from Chile, while the European Union offered three million euros (four million dollars) in immediate aid.

The United States "stands ready to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts, and we have resources that are positioned to deploy should the Chilean government ask for our help", Obama said in a televised address.

Spain, which holds the EU's rotating six-month presidency, offered to help coordinate relief efforts once the damage and requirements are assessed.

The Madrid government said it was "prepared to offer, as in the case of Haiti, all its available capabilities in the region to provide a coordinated response to this new disaster that has rocked a friendly and brother country".

Unlike impoverished Haiti, which was pulverized by an earthquake last month, Chile is one of Latin America's wealthiest countries.

Nevertheless international aid charities said they were dispatching experts to Chile but predicted that the devastation would be far lower than in Haiti, where the January 12 quake killed 200,000 people.

British charity Oxfam said it was sending five water engineers and logistics experts from Chile to Colombia.

Disaster relief charity ShelterBox said it was mobilising an initial response team from Britain and the United States, and the Swiss government said it too was deploying an assessment team to Chile.

The US group Mobile Giving Foundation enlarged a cellphone donation drive that has so far raised 41 million dollars for Haiti.

By texting the word "Chile" to a five-digit phone number, Americans and Canadians can give five or 10 dollars to groups including Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army or World Vision, it said.

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso announced in Brussels that the EU's executive arm was sending three million euros in fast-track aid to Chile.

"I am deeply shocked at the extent of the devastation that is emerging," Barroso said, as European leaders joined Obama in sending heart-felt condolences and offers of assistance to Chile.

"The people of Chile are in agony today but Britain stands ready to help. We will do whatever we can," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, while French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his "deep emotion".

The World Bank said it stood ready to "draw on its considerable expertise in catastrophe management and reconstruction" to support Chile.

Source:MySinchew 2010.02.28

Coastal B.C. under tsunami advisory

VANCOUVER - Coastal British Columbia was put under a tsunami advisory following the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Chile on Saturday.

The quake struck Chile early Saturday, killing at least 122 people, knocking down homes and hospitals and triggering a tsunami that rolled menacingly across the Pacific.

Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) officials said no significant wave is expected, but there are expectations for strong localized currents that could put low-lying areas at risk with the arrival of the first wave expected to arrive off B.C.'s south coast by 3:11 p.m.

PEP issued the warning at 7 a.m. this morning after the West Coast Alaska Tsunami Warning Centre upgraded the B.C. coast to the advisory level following the massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Chile.

PEP said local governments may consider activating their emergency plans to evacuate marinas, beaches and areas below the normal high tide mark.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned dozens of countries and remote island nations from Hawaii to Japan of possible "widespread damage" from waves, generated by the massive quake which may reach three meters (nine feet).


"Sea level readings confirm that a tsunami has been generated which could cause widespread damage," the Hawaii-based center said. "Authorities should take appropriate action in response to this threat."


The massive quake plunged much of the Chilean capital, Santiago, into darkness as it snapped power lines and severed communications. The international airport was closed after being damaged.

Source:vancouversun.com/