Tsunami Watch for New Zealand, Australia, American Samoa, an

This is for all you New Zealanders and Aussies on BG. Fortunately these things usually settle before reaching far-away lands but it's still better to be safe than sorry!

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/02/05/tsunami-warning-issued-in-pacific-after-magnitude-80-quake-near-solomon-islands/


A powerful earthquake in the South Pacific generated a tsunami Wednesday that prompting warnings to several island nations.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami of 3 feet was measured in Lata wharf, in the Solomon Islands. No damage was immediately reported there or in Vanuatu, which also was covered by the warning.
The statement said the waves could be destructive near the epicenter and threaten more distant coasts.
The tsunami formed after a 8.0-magnitude earthquake near near Lata in Temotu province, the easternmost province of the Solomons, about a 3-hour flight from the capital, Honiara. The region has a population of around 30,000 people.
In Honiara, the warning prompted residents to flee for higher ground.
"People are still standing on the hills outside of Honiara just looking out over the water, trying to observe if there is a wave coming in," said George Herming, a spokesman for the prime minister. So far, he had received no reports that a wave had been observed in Honiara.
Atenia Tahu, who works for the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corp. in Honiara, said most people were remaining calm.
"People around the coast and in the capital are ringing in and trying to get information from us and the National Disaster Office and are slowly moving up to higher ground," Tahu said. "But panic? No, no, no, people are not panicking."
The tsunami warning also covered Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis and Futuna. A tsunami watch is in effect for American Samoa, Australia, New Zealand and eastern Indonesia.
An official at the disaster management office in neighboring Vanuatu said there were no reports of damage or injuries there.
More than 50 people were killed and thousands lost their homes in April 2007 when a magnitude 8.1 quake hit the western Solomon Islands, sending waves crashing into coastal villages.
The Solomons comprise more than 200 islands with a population of about 552,000 people. They lie on the "Ring of Fire" -- an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim and where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck 50 miles west of Lata, at a depth of 3.6 miles. The warning area does not include Hawaii and North and South America.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/02/05/tsunami-warning-issued-in-pacific-after-magnitude-80-quake-near-solomon-islands/#ixzz2K5TqfYPH

If it makes it this far (even if dying down on the way)I imagine it would sadly hit Indonesia or Solomon Islands and wouldn't even come close to effecting Australia or New Zealand... but that is just me going off of previous tsunami's that Australia has been under watch for in past years :/

Hopefully it dies down before hitting any of the mentioned countries though. I feel sorry for those who've already been effected by it.

We were all good!

Quoting Elliot Reid:" We were all good!"

Yay! That's good to hear. I figured that would be the case since most tsunami warnings never pan out but it's better to be safe than sorry!

Quoting Derp:" Yay! That's good to hear. I figured that would be the case since most tsunami warnings never pan out but it's better to be safe than sorry!"

True, I hope it never happens though!