Tsunami

[vilakins]

There's a country-wide coastal tsunami warning out after the big Chile earthquake and the surge is hitting as I type. I doubt it will do much damage on the coast, especially since it's low tide, but a 1.5 metre surge going up a river could be very bad news, with water backing up above it. Quite a few coastal events like a half-marathon have been cancelled.

For once I'm not accidentally down by the sea when a tsunami's coming in, but up here at home. I'm going out shortly to meet friends, but pretty much along the same ridge we're at the end of.

Comments

[mab_browne]

Luckily me and mine are all well inland. I'm not surprised they've shut down the Kaikoura stretch of the main trunk. It's tremendously close to the sea.

[vilakins]

Apparently Akaroa got quite a surge. There are warnings for the next 12 hours as the ocean sloshes back and forward. :-P

[zoefruitcake]

how alarming :0( I hope it's not too bad


thank you very much for my balloons ;0)

[vilakins]

I didn't hear of much damage at all.

They're cute, aren't they! I like balloons.

[matildabj.livejournal.com]

Blimey. Scary stuff. And your icon is very appropriate.

Nature seems to want to remind us lately about who's really in charge of the planet.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

Take care (I know you'll be safe, I know this, but after that big one it still freaks me a little...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I'll be fine. We're quite high here and the tsunami's shorter than me anyway.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I just hope we don't get an earthquake of our own. We're prone to them.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

EEK!

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Eeeeeeeeeek! Shit! Hope you will be okay. *fingers crossed*

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Eek, I hadn't realised it would get as far as you. They were going on about Hawaii... Keep to the high ground!

[viciousdisorder.livejournal.com]

Stay safe. I'm sure it should have hit NZ by now, apparently it was meant to have reached us by now too. But I can't find anything on the smh's website, so I don't know what's happening about it.

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

I keep following the news about that Earthquake and the tsunami since the morning. I am glad you are safe, and I hope you will stay like that. Take care!

[kalinda001.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. Stay safe.

[executrix.livejournal.com]

All the best wishes--there's been a LOT of planetary irrationality lately.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

I know you will be fine, but I hope that nothing stressful happens

[trixieleitz]

Eeep, this is the first I heard of it! I'm up a hill, too, so relatively unaffected.

News reports now seem to say that the main surge has passed us without incident, although there are warnings in place regarding unusual tide and current activity for the next little while. Mainly aimed at boaties and so on, I think.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It's not that bad! The warnings are only for the coast. But given the number of idiots who'd go down to watch...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Of course! We're quite high up here, and I was only near the sea for a few minutes on my way to a friend's house. It's just hard to predict where the swell will hit most; for some reason, Akaroa (beautiful French-settled town in the South Island) got quite a surge. I don't think there was much effect here. The warning's for 12 hours though as the ocean sloshes back and forwards.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I live on high ground, but I was down on the flat for a few minutes today. I could see no evidence of extra water, but the mangrove swamps would cushion that.

Most of my friends didn't even know there was a warning out.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

*nods* Some people have no sense of danger. It can't hurt ME. Well, not if you have sufficient warning AND sufficient sense. Tsunamis aren't spectator events.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It has hit, and Akaroa for some reason got quite a big surge, but there will be effects for 12 hours as the ocean sloshes back and forward, which I hadn't realised.

[luinielle.livejournal.com]

Stay safe. Thankfully the tsunami didn't have much impact on Hawai'i (though my brother and some aunties had to evacuate) so hopefully it won't impact you too much either.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I'm sure everyone but idiots who go down to watch will be safe. They sent a cruise ship out into the harbours from moorings to be safe. There's no danger whatsoever to me, living on higher ground. The sort of thing that happened last time was damage to marina pilings.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I think people are all pretty safe unless they do something silly. Most beaches aren't too flat, or have seawalls, and the closest I went to one today was near the mangrove swamps which would absorb any surge. I noticed that there was no shortage of cars driving and parked on Tamaki Drive, the promenade. Mind you, most of my friends didn't even know there was a warning.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I think the greatest danger is damage to pilings, wharves, and marinas, which happened last time. I wouldn't put it past some idiots to try to surf the thing though.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I doubt it's added much to the ongoing stress about the economy and unemployment and bills. There might be some damage to marinas and pilings, that sort of thing. The warning last 12 hours though as the ocean sloshes back and forward. Weirdness.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yes, the cruise ship that was in was moved out into the harbour. I think the only damage last time was to marina pilings. Akaroa got quite a surge though, I heard.

Most of the people I met for lunch didn't know about the warning. :-)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I imagine it would affect us a lot less than it did Hawaii, but it can be quirky because of the ocean floor. I don't think it's been too bad at all.

[merrymaia.livejournal.com]

Eeep! Stay safe!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It's really pretty safe unless you're on a wharf or marina; you mainly get damage there. They didn't bother evacuating anyone, just warned them.

[imhilien.livejournal.com]

Talk about a dramatic day for the Pacific... fortunately, NZ is still standing. I feel sorry for Chile, though. :(

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

:-( I hope we don't get The Big One they talk about in Wellington any time soon.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

Knowing how you feel about earthquakes, it seems particularly unfair of one thousands of miles away to impinge on your life.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Congratulations to your women and your men! A double victory over Australia is cause for double celebration!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Is there anyone who likes them? This country gets a lot of smaller ones, and I lived in Wellington for a time; a place that's due for the Big One. Most people keeps earthquake stores there and it's illegal to build in brick. :-P

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I know! I was worried when the second game went into extra overs, but Australia suddenly fell apart, something we're more likely to do.

And what's more, both games were televised! I was delighted to see that.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Running the men's and women's World Twenty20 competitions in tandem last summer was a huge success, and the semis and final all got televised. They're planning the same when it happens again in the West Indies in May.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I have hopes for this tour then!