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The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a possible widespread tsunami warning after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the South Pacific Ocean. The earthquake was reported on Feb. 10, 2021. There is no tsunami warning for Guam or Hawaii.
For a brief moment, there was a warning for the United States territory American Samoa. However, the earthquake-triggered tsunami has since been dropped.
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre has issued a statement saying there is no threat of the tsunami hitting Australia.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located around 248.548 miles southeast of the Loyalty Islands archipelago and 267.19 from Vanuatu.
Tsunami activity is expected in New Zealand, however, the National Emergency Management Agency does not expect it to flood the shores with waves. They do “expect New Zealand coastal areas to experience strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges at the shore.”
The agency has advised New Zealand citizens on the north coast of North Island to move away from estuaries, harbors, rivers, and beaches.
According to authorities, the tsunami can cause “Strong currents and surges can injure and drown people.” They expect these “currents to reach the North Cape at around 04:20 local time (16:20 CET).”
The only threat issued for Australia is a “marine threat” by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. They expect the “marine threat” to affect Lord Howe Island for several hours. However, they do not believe there is any threat to the mainland.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Source:
Euronews: New Zealand issues tsunami alert after 7.7-magnitude earthquake near New Caledonia
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