Tsunami warning for Australia

Tsunami warning for Australia
April 2, 2007 - 10:06AM

▪ Big earthquake strikes near Solomons
▪ Queensland tsunami warning eases
▪ Dangerous waves could affect beaches, harbours and rivers

A tsunami warning has been issued for northern and eastern Australian coastal and island communities after a strong earthquake off the Solomon Islands.

Waves thrown up by the 8.1-magnitude undersea quake should roll into the north Queensland coast between 10 to 20 centimetres in height, the Australian Geological Agency says.

But the tsunami was ''not a really big (threat) for the coast of Australia,'' a Geoscience Australia spokeswoman said.

At least three people in the Solomons died in the tsunami, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported, quoting a local official in the affected area. Solomons authorities have reported four people missing after waves hit several coastal towns.

Ada Akao, from Australia's High Commission in Honiara, said the quake was felt in the Solomons capital but no buildings in the city appeared to have been damaged.

Queensland threat easing

The Bureau of Meteorology's said the threat to the Queensland coast posed by an undersea earthquake near Solomon Islands had eased.

Its latest tsunami alert said the weather station on Willis Island, off the north Queensland coast, reported no noticeable affect of waves at 9am, by which time the tsunami was expected to have passed.

''At this stage the threat seems to have eased,'' the bureau reported.

But warnings will be maintained.

?'Dangerous' waves

The bureau says dangerous waves and currents may affect beaches, harbours and rivers.

The Queensland State Emergency Service has advised that people should stay away from low lying coastal areas.

However, Queensland emergency services are on high alert, preparing for a tsunami to hit the coast.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii confirmed a tsunami was generated by an 8.1-magnitude underwater off the Solomon Islands about 6.40am.

The magnitude was revised up after initial reports of a 7.8-magnitude quake.

Warning zone

The centre said the earthquake hit near the Solomon Islands at 6.40am, centred about

Localities in the warning zone include Queensland's north-east coast from Cooktown to Mackay, the Willis and Barrier Reef Islands, and Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands.

Based on the earthquake's location and magnitude, the Bureau of Meteorology says a tsunami could hit Cooktown from 9.31am, Cairns from 9.49am, Gladstone from 11.39am, Mackay from 11.44am.

The quake had the potential to throw up a tsumani affecting a large area of the Pacific, the Bureau of Meteorology's Rob Webb said.

'Leave the beach'

"We're working with the SES people ?- anyone at the beach should leave the beach and boats in shallow waters should immediately get to land," Mr Webb said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre's Barry Hirshorn said he had been hearing rumours of 20 houses washed away close to the epicentre of the quake, but further away the tsunami was down to less than half a metre.

"All we can say is that both ourselves and Geoscience Australia and the met (meteorological) services are all anxiously checking water level readings,'' he told the Seven Network.

"That (water levels readings) will give us our next step.''

Aftershock recorded

Geoscience duty seismologist David Jepsen said the quake had occurred in an area of frequent seismic activity.

There had already been one aftershock, the strength of which had not yet been determined, Dr Jepsen said.

"It's on the plate boundary between the Pacific and Asian plates, so these quakes are common,'' he said.

Based on the earthquake's location and magnitude, the Bureau of Meteorology says a tsunami could hit Cooktown from 9.31am, Cairns from 9.49am, Gladstone from 11.39am, Mackay from 11.44am.

The Queensland State Emergency Service advises that people should stay away from low lying coastal areas.

Geoscience Asutralia said it had since revised the quake's strength up to
8.1 on the Richter scale, based on updated calculations.

The bureau's National Meteorological and Oceanographic Centre in Melbourne initially said a possible tsunami could hit after 9.31am at Cooktown, after 9.49am at Cairns, after 10.33am in Brisbane, after 11.39am at Gladstone and after 11.44am at Mackay.

It later extended the tsunami warning to Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island and the whole eastern coast as far south as Tasmania.

The bureau said dangerous waves and currents could affect beaches, harbours and rivers for several hours from the time of impact and low- lying coastal areas could be flooded.

The waves can be separated in time by between 10 to 60 minutes and the first wave of the series may not be the largest.

The bureau said the warning was based on the earthquake and it was not known if a tsunami was generated.

"All we can say is that both ourselves and Geoscience Australia and the met (meteorological) services are all anxiously checking water level readings," Mr Hirshorn told the Seven Network.

"That (water levels readings) will give us our next step."

The Japan Meteorological Agency says there's a possibility of tsunami occurring in the Pacific Ocean.

The Japanese agency has issued a warning of the possibility of tidal waves hitting the Japanese archipelago, and other pacific centres.

with AAP

Emergency Management Queensland spokesman John Hall said emergency services throughout the state were coordinating for a tsunami to hit the Queensland coast at varying times throughout the morning, with Brisbane timed for 10.30am (AEST).

People along the Queensland coast were being warned to stay away from low-lying areas and beaches.

"We are taking every possible precaution,'' Mr Hall said.

"We are asking people to stay away from beaches and low-lying areas because these are the most dangerous areas,'' he said.

But as yet, there had been no confirmation that a tsunami had actually been generated in the quake and the tsunami watch had not yet been upgraded to a tsunami warning.

Cooktown ?'worried'

Cooktown shire mayor Bob Sullivan said the community was worried.

"We are pretty disturbed,'' Mr Sullivan told ABC Radio.

"We are waiting to see what the effects will be.''

Cairns Base Hospital cancelled elective surgery and outpatient clinics today after the alert.

Cairns and Hinterland District Health Service Manager Angela Beckett said patients were asked not to come to Cairns Base Hospital unless it was an emergency.

Ms Beckett said the hospital was taking all precautions at this stage in case a tsunami, which was due to hit Cairns at 9.41am AEST, did affect the city.

The hospital had activated its emergency response plan, she said.

Aftershock recorded

Geoscience duty seismologist David Jepsen said the quake had occurred in an area of frequent seismic activity.

There had already been one aftershock, the strength of which had not yet been determined, Dr Jepsen said.

"It's on the plate boundary between the Pacific and Asian plates, so these quakes are common,'' he said.

The bureau said dangerous waves and currents could affect beaches, harbours and rivers for several hours from the time of impact and low- lying coastal areas could be flooded.

The waves can be separated in time by between 10 to 60 minutes and the first wave of the series may not be the largest.

The bureau said the warning was based on the earthquake and it was not known if a tsunami was generated.

"All we can say is that both ourselves and Geoscience Australia and the met (meteorological) services are all anxiously checking water level readings," Mr Hirshorn told the Seven Network.

"That (water levels readings) will give us our next step."

The Japan Meteorological Agency says there's a possibility of tsunami occurring in the Pacific Ocean.

The Japanese agency has issued a warning of the possibility of tidal waves hitting the Japanese archipelago, and other pacific centres. Source