Tsunami Warning for Hawaii After 7.7 Earthquake #SurfReport - Surf Blog | Surfing New | Surf News

VIA MY FOX LA

Posted: Oct 27, 2012 11:12 PM PDT

<em >Sunday, October 28, 2012 2:12 AM EST</em>Updated: Oct 27, 2012 11:54 PM PDT

<em >Sunday, October 28, 2012 2:54 AM EST</em>

Posted by: Pablo Pereira, Web Editor / Producer

The state of Hawaii is now under a tsunami warning after a 7.7 earthquake struck off the Queen Charlotte Islands Region in Canada. The estimated arrival time of the first wave is expected to be 10:28 p.m. on Saturday. HAWAII TV STREAMING LIVE NOW TSUNAMI WARNING CLICK HERE

FOR LATEST ON TSUNAMI WARNING IN HAWAII FROM NWS CLICK HERE

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a Tsunami Warning for Hawaii. Forecasters say a change in sea level readings and a small Tsunami detected by a deep ocean pressure sensor shortly after the 7.7 Earthquake off the coast of British Columbia prompted the warning for the Hawaiian Islands.

FROM BIG ISLAND VIDEO NEWS:

At first, it appeared as if there would be no warning issued.

This message was distributed by Hawaii County Civil Defense:

This is your Hawaii County Civil Defense. This is a Coastal Area update for the Island of Hawaii for Saturday, October 27, 2012 at 6:30PM.A 7.7 earthquake occurred in the Queen Charlotte Islands Region of British Columbia at 5:04PM HST. A Tsunami Warning has NOT been issued for the State of Hawaii, I repeat, a Tsunami Warning has not been issued for the State of Hawaii. However, Hawaii could experience small non-destructive sea level changes and strong or unusual currents from 10:30PM tonight lasting up to several hours. Again, although a tsunami is not expected, Hawaii could experience small non-destructive sea level changes and strong or unusual currents from 10:30PM tonight lasting up to several hours. Please avoid coastal areas and do not enter the ocean from 10:30PM tonight and remain clear until the ocean returns to normal which could take several hours.Thank you for your cooperation. Have a safe evening. This is your Hawaii County Civil Defense.

But now, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has upgraded the message to include a warning for Hawaii.

THIS UPGRADE IS DUE TO THE SEA LEVEL READINGS RECEIVED AND THE RESULTING CHANGE IN THE HAWAII TSUNAMI FORECAST.

Under the evaluation, the PTWC says:

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.

FROM EARLIER:

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the west coast of Canada and a tsunami warning was issued, authorities said, but there were no immediate reports of major damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit the Queen Charlotte Islands just after 8 p.m. local time Saturday at a depth of about 3 miles (5 kilometers) and was centered 96 miles (155 kilometers) south of Masset, British Columbia.

The National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas of British Columbia and southern Alaska. The first wave of the small tsunami, about 4 inches (101.6 millimeters), hit the southeast Alaska coastal community of Craig.

A 1.5-foot (.46-meter) wave was reported off Langara Island on the northeast tip of Queen Charlotte, according to the Emergency Info British Columbia.

The USGS said the 7.7 magnitude quake shook the area and was followed by a 5.8 magnitude aftershock several minutes later.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska said it was trying to warn everyone with a boat on the water to prepare for a potential tsunami.

Lt. Bernard Auth of the Juneau Command Center said the Coast Guard was working with local authorities to alert people in coastal towns to take precautions.

The quake struck 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Sandspit, British Columbia, on the Haida Gwaii archipelago, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands. People in coastal areas were advised to move to higher ground.

Urs Thomas, operator of the Golden Spruce hotel in Port Clements said there was no warning before everything began moving inside and outside the hotel. He said it last about three minutes.

“It was a pretty good shock,” Thomas, 59, said. “I looked at my boat outside. It was rocking. Everything was moving. My truck was moving.”

After the initial jolt, Thomas began to check the hotel.

“The fixtures and everything were still swinging,” he said. “I had some picture frames coming down.”

Natural Resources Canada said in a statement that a major earthquake was felt across much of north and central British Columbia but that there were no immediate reports of damage. PrayForCanada became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter.

“I was sitting at my desk on my computer and everything just started to move. It was maybe 20 seconds,” said Joan Girbav, manager of Pacific Inn in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. “It’s very scary. I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never felt that.”

The quake was felt…

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