Tag Archives: Tsunami

Earthquake strikes Vanuatu amidst Cyclones Kevin and Judy

Mathew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Important Takeaways:

  • Vanuatu gets back-to-back earthquakes, cyclone
  • The Pacific nation experienced an initial 6.5 magnitude quake, followed by an aftershock.[5.4] A state of emergency has been declared amid the threat of Cyclone Kevin.
  • The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami threat from the initial quake.
  • Just a couple of days ago, strong winds and rain from Cyclone Judy had lashed Vanuatu. Electricity and communications in the island nation are still affected.

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A 7.0 panics the Solomon Islands with major tremblor

Solomon Islands Earthquake

Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Important Takeaways:

  • Powerful 7.0 earthquake shakes Solomon Islands
  • There were no immediate reports of widespread damage or injuries
  • Australia’s embassy, the airport and shopping malls were damaged. The quake also triggered power outages in the capital, Honiara.
  • The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned of possible hazardous waves for the area but later downgraded a tsunami warning.
  • Two more 6.0 tremblors followed after 7.0

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Tonga Tsunami alert after 7.1 Earthquake strikes nearby

Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Important Takeaways:

  • Tsunami alert after powerful earthquake hits near Tonga
  • A tsunami warning has been issued after a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean.
  • “Dangerous tsunami waves are possible for coasts within 300 km of the earthquake epicenter,” said the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
  • In January, the archipelago was devastated by the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano, followed by a tsunami.

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South Pacific Islands have had a chain of significant sized Earthquakes

Luke 21:11” There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

Important Takeaways:

  • Rash of ‘significant-sized’ earthquakes near South Pacific island chain has tsunami monitors on alert
  • The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Weather Service U.S. Tsunami Warning System has registered four quakes — the smallest of which was a 6.8 magnitude and the largest a 7.2 magnitude. Each occurred in the Loyalty Islands region of the South Pacific.
  • The Loyalty Islands are located just over 2,100 miles east of Australia and about 3,800 miles southwest of Hawaii. The latest significant earthquake, a 6.8 magnitude temblor

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Aftermath of Tonga U.N. official says 80% of population were affected by the recent eruption

Important Takeaways:

  • Tonga needs over $90 million to start repairs from volcano
  • A U.N. official says 80% of Tonga’s 105,000 people were affected by the undersea volcanic eruption and ensuing tsunami that lashed the Pacific island nation on Jan. 15
  • Cyclone season is still in full swing, and there are almost weekly earthquakes in the region, the latest a magnitude 5.0 quake only a few hours earlier just 47 kilometers (30 miles) from the capital,
  • 14 U.N. agencies and the international community are supporting Tonga’s relief and recovery efforts, providing almost 40 tons of water and sanitation supplies, reconnecting Tonga with the rest of the world through emergency telecommunications services and logistics, and providing food, school materials and psychological support.
  • The $90.4 million in estimated losses doesn’t take into account future losses from tourism, agriculture or commerce.

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Unprecedented disasters and communication nightmare on Tonga Island

Nahum 1:5 “The Mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it.”

Important Takeaways:

  • Tonga faces ‘unprecedented disaster’ as New Zealand warns of further eruptions and tsunami risk
  • New Zealand warned of further eruptions that may complicate the delivery of aid to remote islands where communications are down.
  • Tongan Prime Minster Siaosi Sovaleni said all houses on the island of Mango, where 36 people live, were destroyed.
  • The deaths of three people and several other injuries, and outlined the scale of destruction to communities.
  • The eruption on Saturday generated tsunami waves up to 49 feet (15 meters) high that hit the west coast of Tonga’s main island
  • With cleanup efforts underway, rescue workers are racing to deliver safe drinking water to the island nation as it grapples with the shortages.
  • Tonga’s communication systems remain severely limited after damage to a key undersea cable cut international and inter-island calls

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Sonic Boom and Lightning Bolts

Luke 21:25,26   “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Important Takeaways:

  • Volcano eruption in Tonga was a once-in-a-millennium event
  • The underwater Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption has already triggered a tsunami, a sonic boom and thousands of lightning bolts, and could now lead to acid rain
  • The extent of destruction in Tonga is still uncertain because the country’s main undersea phone and internet cable was damaged.
  • The eruption also sparked almost 400,000 lightning bolts above the volcano as bits of ash and atmospheric ice particles bumped into each other and generated electrical charges.

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Tsunami warning for west coast

Matthew 16:2-3 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

Important Takeaways:

  • Tsunami Waves Over 4 Feet High Hit Pacific Coast after Major Eruption near Tonga
  • Waves between 1 and 4 feet were reported from Alaska to California
  • Two people were taken to the hospital after being swept into the water while fishing in California.
  • Some coastal areas in Japan were evacuated.
  • The tsunami was generated by an undersea volcano in the South Pacific.
  • “The arriving tsunami will come in pulses of surging water levels onto and off of the coast, similar to ‘high tide.’ Do not expect to identify these arriving pulses by large cresting waves/surf,” the NWS Bay Area office tweeted. “These water level surges can overwhelm and overtake people and pull them out to sea.”

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All eyes on Tonga, as eruption sends a shockwave around the world

Luke 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

Important Takeaways:

  • Tonga Volcanic Eruption Felt Around the World
  • The massive underwater volcanic eruption in Tonga was so powerful it was recorded around the world and triggered a tsunami that flooded Pacific coastlines from Japan to the United States, scientists said
  • Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano spew smoke and ash into the air, with a thunderous roar recorded 10,000 kilometers (6,000 miles) away in Alaska.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey recorded Saturday’s eruption as equivalent to a 5.8 magnitude earthquake at zero depth.
  • Scotland tweeted it was “just incredible to think of the power that can send a shockwave around the world” after the eruptions produced a jump in its air pressure graph

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Ten years on, Japan mourns victims of earthquake and Fukushima disaster

By Eimi Yamamitsu

IWAKI, Japan (Reuters) – With a moment of silence, prayers and anti-nuclear protests, Japan on Thursday mourned about 20,000 victims of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan 10 years ago, destroying towns and triggering nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima.

Huge waves triggered by the 9.0-magnitude quake – one of the strongest on record – crashed into the northeastern coast, crippling the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant and forcing more than 160,000 residents to flee as radiation spewed into the air.

The world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl and the tremor have left survivors struggling to overcome the grief of losing families and towns to the waves in a few frightening hours on the afternoon of March 11, 2011.

About 50 kilometers (31 miles) south from the plant, in the gritty coastal city of Iwaki, which has since become a hub for laborers working on nuclear decommissioning, restaurant owner Atsushi Niizuma prayed to his mother killed by the waves.

“I want to tell my mother that my children, who were all close to her, are doing well. I came here to thank her that our family is living safely,” said Niizuma, 47.

Before setting off for work, he quietly paid his respects at a stone monument at a seaside shrine with carvings of his mother’s name, Mitsuko, and 65 others who died in the disaster.

On the day of the earthquake, Mitsuko was looking after his children. The children rushed into a car but Mitsuko was swept away by the waves as she returned to the house to grab her belongings. It took a month to recover her body, Niizuma said.

The Akiba shrine has become a symbol of resilience for the survivors, as it was barely damaged by the tsunami while houses nearby were swept away or burned down.

About two dozen residents gathered with Niizuma to decorate it with paper cranes, flowers and yellow handkerchiefs with messages of hope sent by students from across the country.

“It was sleeting 10 years ago, and it was cold. The coldness always brought me back to the memory of what happened on the day,” said Hiroko Ishikawa, 62.

“But with my back soaking up the sun today, we are feeling more relaxed. It’s as if the sun is telling us that ‘It’s okay, why don’t you go talk with everyone who came back to visit their hometown?'”

REMEMBERING THE DEAD

At 2:46 p.m., the exact moment the earthquake struck a decade ago, Emperor Naruhito and his wife led a moment of silence to honor the dead in a commemorative ceremony in Tokyo. Silent prayers were held across the country.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told the memorial ceremony that the loss of life was still impossible to contemplate.

“It is unbearable when I think of the feelings of all those who lost their loved ones and friends,” said Suga, dressed in a black suit.

At the ceremony attended by emperor and prime minister, the attendees wore masks and kept their distance, and did not sing along with the national anthem to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

In a joint statement, Suga and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden said the two countries would continue to move forward shoulder-to-shoulder to finish the reconstruction of the region.

The Japanese government has spent about $300 billion (32.1 trillion yen) to rebuild the region, but areas around the Fukushima plant remain off-limits, worries about radiation levels linger and many who left have settled elsewhere.

Some 40,000 people are still displaced by the disaster.

Japan is again debating the role of nuclear power in its energy mix as the resource-poor country aims to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2050 to fight global warming. But an NHK public TV survey showed 85% of the public worries about nuclear accidents.

The work to decommission the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, deal with contaminated water and solid waste, and make the area safe is immense, as critics say it could take up to a century to return the plant to a usable state.

About 5,000 workers pass through gates each day to work on dismantling the crippled plant, which still has about 880 tonnes of melted fuel debris in its reactors.

The mass demonstrations against nuclear power seen in the wake of 3/11 have faded, but distrust lingers. Some protesters held an antinuclear rally in front of the headquarters of plant operator Tokyo Electric Power on Thursday night.

In Fukushima, fireworks lit up night sky to connect to the souls of the victims and pray for a bright future.

“Watching the fireworks, I felt like we’re taking another new step towards recovery,” said Hiroshi Yokoyama, 56, a school teacher from the Fukushima town of Namie who lost his parents and home to the tsunami.

“I don’t think it will ever go back to the way it used to be… but I am looking forward to what sort of new approaches there will be to revitalize the town.”

(Reporting by Eimi Yamamitsu, Elaine Lies, Kim Kyung Hoon, Irene Wang, Sakura Murakami, Antoni Slodkowski, Ju-min Park and Linda Sieg; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Hugh Lawson)