OMG Tsunami?

[Pavel_Bure 10]

lol this was at like 8 last night

[Captain Aerosex]

So...was this the "big one?"

One can only hope...

[GodzillaDeuce]

i know. I went to sleep at 7:30 because i had to wake up early

[Pavel_Bure 10]

yeah i figured

must've been reeeeeeally early though lol

[-DLC-]

Had a firefighter friend right on the beach in a hotel in Hawaii who was updating us online (making light of things at first, but you can feel as his intensity/anxiety rises as things play out)...

The police are telling people to evacuate to higher ground via loud hailers. I am wondering if there are now drink specials at the local bars?

Major traffic jam in wiakiki..Everyone heading to higher ground...we're on the 21st floor, traffic is at a standstill

The pic is from another friend who used to live there, via her contacts

Oh ****.....nice time to be in Hawaii. the siren is sounding....Heading to higher ground.

wow, they are now telling people to get out of their cars and walk to higher ground. ditch the cars and run to higher grounds. Holy ****. this is not very nice to go through

(his brother chimed in "here's some tsunami music for you" with a link to "Run To The Hills" by Iron Maiden at this point. Brotherly love)

This is getting scary...sirens everywhere

And this is a firefighter who doesn't panic easily. It was an eerie feeling getting updates in real time from someone as they faced a potential life threatening situation (I've just posted a few). Again, he's not easily rattled and faces this stuff on a daily basis but, when others are in control, he clearly is rattled! He did take charge but the initial panic, as it grew, was something that translated across the ocean.

FTR, he sent a pic of his wife, asleep on the couch throughout all of it (before he woke her up to evacuate...guess she's learned not to worry with him in charge)

[Wetcoaster]

I remember when Port Alberni (and other communities on Vancouver Island) were hit with two tsunami waves on Good Friday (March 28) 1964 from a massive earthquake centred off Alaska (magnitude of 9.2) as the water roared up the Alberni inlet.

It was Good Friday of 1964 that the largest earthquake of our century rocked Alaska, heaving up the ocean floor 15 meters and sending a series of seismic waves along the West Coast of Vancouver Island and down through Oregon and California. The first wave hit Port Alberni late at night as most people slept. Due to the heroism and quick thinking of many of our Valley’s citizens most people were alerted and evacuated before the onset of the much larger second wave, preventing any casualties.

http://www.portalberni.ca/node/39

And (there is a photo gallery at the link noted below):

The Great Alaskan Earthquake of March 28, 1964 generated a tsunami which was also destructive in British Columbia, Canada, and in the U.S. States of Washington, California and Hawaii. The tsunami waves were particularly destructive at Vancouver Island. Serious damage occurred at Alberni and Port Alberni.

The tsunami generating area of the 1964 earthquake was very extensive.

The first wave to arrive at shores and tide stations in British Columbia had its origin at the deeper part of the source region in the Gulf of Alaska, near Kodiak and Trinity Islands.

The tsunami travel times were : Prince Rupert 3.3 hours; Tofino 3.8 hrs. The first wave was not necessarily the highest. Subsequent, more significant waves - from the shallower part of the tsunami source generating area - reached the West Coast of Canada and Vancouver Island at a later time.

The tsunami travel time to Port Alberni was 4.1 hrs.

The twin cities of Alberni and Port Alberni are situated at the head of a 35 mile long inlet on the west coast of Vancouver Island. This accounts for the longer tsunami travel time.

The shape and configuration of the inlet were the reason for the extensive flooding that occurred at Alberni and Port Alberni. The first wave to reach the head of the inlet caused major flooding but was not particularly damaging. It served as a warning for people to evacuate. It was the second wave - almost an hour later - that came with much greater force and caused the greater damage by carrying homes and cars inland. A total of 375 dwellings were damaged, with 55 being totally lost.

Other areas of Vancouver island sustained damage. At the village of Hot Springs Cove, 16 of its 18 homes were destroyed. At the community of Zeballos, 30 dwellings were moved off their foundations and their contents were damaged. At the small logging community of Amai, 10 homes were damaged.

There was no loss of lives on Vancouver Island or anywhere else in Canada. Damage was estimated at $ 10 million (1964 dollars).

http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami1964Canada.html

Here is a tsunami hazard chart for our area:

Here is a photo gallery of the damage caused by that tsunami at Port Alberni:

http://portalberni.p...ype=i;startat=1

[Wetcoaster]

I'm in Richmond

[-DLC-]

My Dad was a fisherman, out on the water near Queen Charlotte for that one (Wet).

Thanks for the interesting/informative posts.

[RUPERTKBD]

I think I'd only be concerned if i was in Prince Rupert

[î мцšт вяздк чфµ]

phew, that was a close one but i survived the tsunami in coquitlam.

[Wetcoaster]

My Dad was a fisherman, out on the water near Queen Charlotte for that one (Wet).

Thanks for the interesting/informative posts.

[Wetcoaster]

phew, that was a close one but i survived the tsunami in coquitlam.

[Wetcoaster]

And we exported our made in Canada tsunami to Hawaii with waves of about 1.5 metres (5 feet) hitting Maui and lesser waves on Oahu.

And Alaska was hard hit with a wave surge of 4 inches.

Officials in Hawaii cancelled a tsunami advisory for the state's coastline early Sunday, paving the way for beaches and harbours to reopen after widespread fears of waves generated from a powerful earthquake off the coast of Canada.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center lifted its tsunami advisory Sunday morning just before 4 a.m. local time, three hours after downgrading from a warning and less than six hours after the waves first hit the islands.

Centre officials said wave heights were diminishing, though swimmers and boaters should be careful of strong or unusual currents.

The biggest waves — about 5 feet (1.5 metres) high — appeared to hit Maui. A popular triathlon set for the island was expected to go on as planned, with county lifeguards giving the OK for a 1-mile (1.6-kilometre) ocean swim.

There were no immediate reports of damage, though one person died in a fatal crash near a road that was closed because of the threat near Oahu's north shore.

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie said the state was lucky to avoid more severe surges.

"We're very, very grateful that we can go home tonight counting our blessings," Abercrombie said.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service cancelled tsunami advisories for Canada, Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California.

At first, officials said Hawaii wasn't in any danger of a tsunami after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which sparked tsunami warnings for southern Alaska and western Canada.

Later, officials issued a warning for Hawaii as well, saying there had been a change in sea readings. About the same time, a tsunami advisory was issued for a 450-mile (725-kilometre) stretch of U.S. coast running from north of San Francisco to central Oregon.

A small tsunami created by the quake was barely noticeable in Craig, Alaska, where the first wave or surge was recorded Saturday night.

The warning in Hawaii spurred residents to stock up on essentials at gas stations and grocery stores and sent tourists in beachside hotels to higher floors in their buildings. Bus service into Waikiki was cut off an hour before the first waves, and police in downtown Honolulu shut down a Halloween block party.

Abercrombie proclaimed an emergency, mobilizing extra safety measures.

In Alaska, the wave or surge was recorded at 4 inches (10 centimetres), much smaller than forecast, said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The first wave hit Craig about two hours after the earthquake.

A dispatcher with the Del Norte County Sheriff's said no damage was reported in Crescent City, a tiny fishing community in far Northern California, or in any other locations along the county's coast.

A tsunami warning means an area is likely to be hit by a wave, while an advisory means there may be strong currents, but that widespread inundation is not expected to occur.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Tsunami+warning+issued+Hawaii+downgraded+Alaska+where+wave+small/7460544/story.html

[silverpig]

I'm a little worried that these tsunami warnings are going to cause more harm than they prevent.

When you have a ~9 magnitude earthquake in the ocean, by all means, evacuate.

But one that's in the ~7 territory is 100 times weaker and there is virtually zero chance of a sizeable tsunami.

By issuing warnings and evacuating the coasts every time a 7.something earthquake hits, people will become used to them and will start ignoring them.

[aliboy]

The currents were strong enough, in some places in Hawaii, to be very dangerous. If no warning and people are swimming, it's no good. Even a 1 meter wave can be very destructive if it catches people off guard.

[Wh!stler R!der]

The most serious earthquake-related danger in Richmond being below sea level and protected by dykes is if an earthquake "liquifies" the dykes and they lose integrity - not a tsunami.

Since all of Richmond's land occupies islands in a river delta, the city has plenty of rich, alluvial soil for agriculture, and was one of the first areas in British Columbia to be farmed by Europeans in the 19th century. The drawback of Richmond's geographical location, was that since all the land averages just one metre above sea level, it was prone to flooding, especially during high tide. As a result, all the major islands are now surrounded by a system of dykes, which, although not as massive as those in the Netherlands or the levees of New Orleans, serve to protect the town from anticipated sources of flooding. There is a possibility that, during an earthquake, the dykes could rupture and the alluvial soil may liquefy, causing extensive damage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_British_Columbia

This is in addition to potential flooding from "river events" and "weather events".

Although not officially designated as such, Richmond is located on a floodplain. A ‘floodplain’ is: “land adjacent to a watercourse that is susceptible to flooding”, such as from periods of high tide. In addition, isolated instances of flooding can occur in any community as a result of unanticipated weather events.

To protect Richmond from the possibility of flooding due to high tides or river floods, the City has constructed a comprehensive system of dykes on Lulu Island. These dykes are over 49 km in length and protect an area of 12,805 ha. Mitchell Island is protected by dykes which are privately owned and maintained. Sea Island dykes have been maintained and improved primarily by the Vancouver International Airport Authority.

The City has an extensive system to remove drainage water caused by adverse weather conditions. This system comprises 320 km of ditches and canals and 600 km of box culverts and storm sewers.

http://www.richmond.ca/safety/prepare/city/hazards/flood.htm

[-Vintage Canuck-]

Tsunami warnings cancelled for B.C. coast following major Alaska earthquake:

JUNEAU, Alaska — A powerful earthquake sparked a brief tsunami warning for a lengthy stretch of the British Columbia coast early Saturday, but no damaging waves were generated and the warning was cancelled.

The magnitude 7.5 quake did generate a small tsunami, but the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said the waves didn't pose a threat.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at about 1 a.m. Pacific Time about 100 kilometres west of Craig, Alaska, and about 10 kilometres deep.

A tsunami warning quickly followed for about 1,125 kilometres of coastline from Cape Fairweather, Alaska, to the northern tip of Vancouver Island, and an advisory was issued for the B.C. coast as far south as Victoria.

A warning means an area is likely to be hit by a wave, while an advisory means there may be strong currents without widespread inundation.

Seismologist Jana Pursley of the U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was followed by six aftershocks, the strongest of which registered a 5.1 and came nearly four hours after the initial quake.

The Alaska Tsunami Warning Center had initially warned that "significant widespread inundation" of land was expected along with possible coastal flooding.

But it later cancelled the warning, saying the waves were too small to pose a threat, reaching just 15 centimetres above normal sea level.

The Alaska Earthquake Information Center said the quake was widely felt but it received no reports of any damage.

Many people took to Twitter to express their surprise as they got news of the tsunami warning.

"Seriously? Just arrived in BC; heading to Victoria tomorrow and there's a tsunami warning?" Ayelet Tsabari of Toronto tweeted.

"Wake up, check iPhone ... Slept through #Tsunami warning..." tweeted Keith Benjamin of Bella Bella, B.C.

Alex Godin, who was working at a Tim Hortons in Prince Rupert, B.C. when the quake struck, said the tremor was barely noticeable and "felt like a bump."

This earthquake was centred not far from the Haida Gwaii region of B.C., where a magnitude 7.7 quake struck last October but caused no damage.

A brief tsunami alert had been issued, but no giant waves materialized.

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Tsunami+warnings+cancelled+coast+following+major+Alaska+earthquake/7779929/story.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter