Today’s Chilean earthquake has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a tsunami warning or “advisory” for Southern and Central California. People are urged to avoid local beaches. An evacuation of the low lying areas of Hawaii is currently under way as a wave has been confirmed heading for the Islands.
The NWS urged residents to stay away from the ocean through the early afternoon as a precaution, though forecasters stressed they don’t expect damage. “Wave fluctuation” of 2 feet or less is possible at Santa Monica Pier around 12:25 p.m.
“The Coast Guard strongly encourages waterfront users to take extra precautions in preparation for the possibility of a surge, to include securing vessel mooring arrangements and possible sources of pollution,” according to a U.S. Geological Survey statement.
The advisory was issued after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck about 200 miles southwest of Santiago, Chile.
Tsunami Updates can be Found at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center Site
Hawaiian Alert:
A TSUNAMI HAS BEEN GENERATED THAT COULD CAUSE DAMAGE ALONG
COASTLINES OF ALL ISLANDS IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. URGENT ACTION
SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROTECT LIVES AND PROPERTY.
A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF LONG OCEAN WAVES. EACH INDIVIDUAL WAVE
CREST CAN LAST 5 TO 15 MINUTES OR MORE AND EXTENSIVELY FLOOD
COASTAL AREAS. THE DANGER CAN CONTINUE FOR MANY HOURS AFTER THE
INITIAL WAVE AS SUBSEQUENT WAVES ARRIVE. TSUNAMI WAVE HEIGHTS
CANNOT BE PREDICTED AND THE FIRST WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST.
TSUNAMI WAVES EFFICIENTLY WRAP AROUND ISLANDS. ALL SHORES ARE AT
RISK NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION THEY FACE. THE TROUGH OF A TSUNAMI
WAVE MAY TEMPORARILY EXPOSE THE SEAFLOOR BUT THE AREA WILL
QUICKLY FLOOD AGAIN. EXTREMELY STRONG AND UNUSUAL NEARSHORE
CURRENTS CAN ACCOMPANY A TSUNAMI. DEBRIS PICKED UP AND CARRIED
BY A TSUNAMI AMPLIFIES ITS DESTRUCTIVE POWER. SIMULTANEOUS HIGH
TIDES OR HIGH SURF CAN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE TSUNAMI HAZARD.
THE ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME IN HAWAII OF THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS
1105 AM HST SAT 27 FEB 2010
Santa Monica Advisory:
A MINOR TSUNAMI MAY BE RECORDED IN SOME AREAS OF THE COAST WHICH COULD PRODUCE DANGEROUS CURRENTS AND SURGES IN HARBORS AND BAYS.
PEOPLE ARE ADVISED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE BEACHES AND MARINAS. WAVE HEIGHTS AND CURRENTS ARE AMPLIFIED BY IRREGULAR SHORELINES AND ARE DIFFICULT TO PREDICT.
MINOR WAVE FLUCTUATIONS TWO FEET OR LESS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF THE ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIMES LISTED BELOW: PORT SAN LUIS HARBOR…AT 1235 PM PST. SANTA BARBARA HARBOR…AT 1231 PM PST. SANTA MONICA HARBOR….AT 1225 PM PST. SAN PEDRO HARBOR…….AT 1215 PM PST.
THESE MINOR WAVE FLUCTUATIONS COULD CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THE INITIAL WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST. MARINERS IN WATER DEEPER THAN 600 FEET SHOULD NOT BE AFFECTED BY THE TSUNAMI
