UPDATE: The worst of the Tsunami bypassed the Hawaiian Islands to the west. No damage reported in Hawaii. Later smaller waves were reported in Japan and Russia.
An earthquake of the coast of Chile has generated a TSUNAMI that could cause damage along the coastlines of all island in the State of Hawaii. URGENT ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PREPARE FOR THE TSUNAMI WHICH HAS AN ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME OF THE FIRST WAVE IN HAWAII AT 1119 AM HST SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2010. Chicago time (Central Time) forecast listed at bottom of article.)
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.
An Earthquake occurred near the coast of Chile yesterday with the following parameters:
ORIGIN TIME – 0834 PM HST 26 FEB 2010
COORDINATES – 36.1 SOUTH 72.6 WEST
LOCATION – NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
MAGNITUDE – 8.8 MOMENT
The Chicago Time forecast for the first Tsunami wave for Hawaii is 3:19 p.m. CT.
The waves can travel about 500 miles/hour. The waves may diminish, but experts warn the potential for danger is very real.
The Hilo International Airport, which has been closed, on the big island of Hawaii and is near the southern coast where the tsunami is expected to hit first. All crews aboard vessels and on the ground in state ports have been ordered to evacuate. Warning sirens activated at 6 a.m. local time, alerting residents to tune into their local television and radio stations for instructions. Some of the sirens did not work or were very faint (low volume). Those living in coastal areas susceptible to tsunamis will be instructed to evacuate, according to Shelly Ichishita, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Defense Civil Defense Division.
View Weather/Earthquake/Natural Disasters in a larger map
National Weather Service Watch Warning Advisory Summary [OFFICIAL NWS LINK]
TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 10
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
447 AM HST SAT FEB 27 2010
Areas of the California coastline also have Tsunami Advisories, Flash Flood Warnings, Flood Advisories, and High Surf Advisories. Heavy rain is forecast in the Los Angeles area.
See also …
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
USGS Recent Earthquakes in the World