Woah. 7.9 quake and tsunami near American Samoa

[Beadalin]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33075304/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

Tsunami warnings out for Papua New Guinea, Hawai’i and other islands.

The representative from American Samoa to the U.S. Congress, Eni Faleomavaega, told NBC News that quake hit between the North Marianas Islands and American Samoa, creating 10 to 15- foot waves in populated low-lying areas like Pago Pago Bay.

“Cars were seen floating,” the congressman said of Pago Pago Bay.

He said there will likely need to be mass evacuations of low-lying areas and there will be requests for assistance from Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

[teela_brown]

Yow. That’s a big 'un. I hope the folks in Samoa are safe.

I’m off to Hawaii tomorrow, and hopefully the tsunamis won’t reach Kona.

[fiddlesticks]

Might be a good afternoon to stay away from south facing beaches in Hawaii…

[Duckster]

The USGS now reports it as 8.0.

[Colophon]

Heads up for eastern New Zealand any time now and Hawaii within the next two to three hours:

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages/pacific/2009/pacific.2009.09.29.185430.txt

[garygnu]

The tsunami watch for Hawaii has been reduced to a tsunami advisory, meaning stay out of the water, but no big tidal waves are expected.

http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=11225197

[Paul_in_Qatar]

This is looking worse all the time.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090929/ap_on_re_au_an/as_pacific_earthquake

[Beadalin]

Yes, worse and worse. At least 100 dead and dozens missing. Whole villages wiped out.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33075304/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

Four tsunami waves 15 to 20 feet high roared ashore on American Samoa, reaching up to a mile inland, Mike Reynolds, superintendent of the National Park of American Samoa, was quoted as saying by a parks service spokeswoman.

In American Samoa’s capital of Pago Pago, the streets and fields were filled with ocean debris, mud, overturned cars and several boats as a massive cleanup effort continued into the night. Several buildings in the city — just a few feet above sea level — were flattened. Several areas were expected to be without electricity for up to a month.

New Zealander Graeme Ansell said the Samoan beach village of Sau Sau Beach Fale was leveled.

“It was very quick. The whole village has been wiped out,” Ansell told New Zealand’s National Radio from a hill near Samoa’s capital, Apia. “There’s not a building standing. We’ve all clambered up hills, and one of our party has a broken leg. There will be people in a great lot of need 'round here.”

Residents in both Samoa and American Samoa reported being shaken awake by the quake early Tuesday, which lasted two to three minutes and was centered about 20 miles below the ocean floor. It was followed by at least three large aftershocks of at least 5.6 magnitude.

I haven’t seen any more about Hawai’i. Did anything happen there?

[AuntiePam]

And today a 7.6 quake in Indonesia. Many buildings collapsed, including two hospitals.

Would that be on the same fault line as the quake that caused the tsunami?

[Geek_Mecha]

@Beadalin

I haven’t seen any more about Hawai’i. Did anything happen there?

Nope. The tsunami warning was downgraded to a tsunami advisory by late afternoon. After that, nothing. Currently there’s nothing in the local news about it other than relief efforts.

[Sandra_Battye]

It was along the same fault line that spawned the massive 2004 Asian tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

snip

Wednesday’s quake came a day after a quake with a magnitude of between 8.0 and 8.3 in the South Pacific hurled a massive tsunami at the shores of Samoa and American Samoa, flattening villages and leaving at least 99 dead and dozens missing.

The epicenter of Wednesday’s temblor off Indonesia lies several thousand miles to the west, on the other side of Australia.

From the AP story as quoted by CBS News

So it appears the two quakes are a coincidence. (But that was the first thing I checked, too)

Whoops, read the question wrong. Same fault line as the tsunami. In 2004

[Apollyon]

Main report on the tsunami’s effects in Samoa from this morning’s NZ Herald. About 80 confirmed dead, and perhaps another 50 missing.

Photo galleryof aftermath in Samoa and Tonga.

Samoa is a big part of the community locally and of the primary (elementary) school (my son attends), with many of the students and teachers being either Samoan, NZ-born Samoan, or having family there. My wife is on the school-board and of the other five parent members two are Samoan and one is married into a Samoan family.

School is out at the moment (first week of two weeks holiday)… this is going to impact many people around here.

[rocking_chair]

the reports were hawaii had a wave of 1 to 2 feet, southern ca and baja ca had 6" to 1 foot. not much to speak of.

[Askance]

@AuntiePam

And today a 7.6 quake in Indonesia. Many buildings collapsed, including two hospitals.

Would that be on the same fault line as the quake that caused the tsunami?

They are on opposite sides of the same plate but are separated by over 4,000 miles and not on the same fault line. So no, there is no direct causal connection The Week | All you need to know about everything that matters