Tonga Volcano.. terrifying 4' tidal wave hits Nuku'Alofa!

[owly]

Everybody has probably already heard about the undersea volcano 40 miles north of Tongatapu, and the tsunami warnings for the West Coast US & BC, and NZ North Island, and the terrifying 4' ..... yes that's right four foot.... tsunami wave that hit Nuku'Alofa forcing the evacuation of King ʻAhoʻeitu Tupou VI to higher ground!

It should have hit the west coast a couple of hours ago, presumably in the land of fruits and nuts, hundreds of avid surfers were eagerly awaiting it's arrival ;-)

[Tetepare]

The coastline of Tongatapu where it hit is basically sea level for a long way in shore. For those who live along that shore, generally the poorer people, I presume being inundated is going to cause some hardships since the homes are flooded and gardens awash with salt. The videos I saw look a lot more than a meter.

Not sure why they’d issue an alert for a 1m wave for CA.

[Chayal]

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/tsunami-adviso...onga-1.5741534

BC news today.

[owly]

I apologize for the tone of my previous post. This is clearly doing a lot of damage... The idea of a 4 foot tsunami does seem a bit absurd in comparison to the devastating tsunamis in Indonesia and Japan, etc.

These low lying villages would be extremely vulnerable in fact completely wiped off the face of the earth in a tsunami like the 2011 Japan event.

Tsunami in Tonga

Japan Tsunami | National Geographic






Are we ready for Cascadia? There is a fairly high statistical probability that it will happen within the lifetime of children of today... an M9 quake is no laughing matter. In reality it could happen today.... or a a few hundred years from now... who knows? The 1946 tsunami from a quake in Alaska reached a height of 138 locally! When it does happen, it will probably be the most anticipated natural disaster in history other than climate change.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by owly

Everybody has probably already heard about the undersea volcano 40 miles north of Tongatapu, and the tsunami warnings for the West Coast US & BC, and NZ North Island, and the terrifying 4' ..... yes that's right four foot.... tsunami wave that hit Nuku'Alofa forcing the evacuation of King ʻAhoʻeitu Tupou VI to higher ground!

It should have hit the west coast a couple of hours ago, presumably in the land of fruits and nuts, hundreds of avid surfers were eagerly awaiting it's arrival ;-)

Well I just watched video of the tsunami in Tonga on Youtube. The footage is pretty frightening, and there's no doubt that some people have died as a result.

Quite honestly, I find your tone to be callous, flippant, and completely inappropriate.

A tsunami doesn't produce a single 4 ft wave like you see on the beach. It's a 4 foot wall of water that just keeps coming, and coming, and coming. Image 4 ft of water flowing through your house.

[Sailing4venture]

This is crazy, I saw the satellite video. It is huge. Even the sonic boom was huge. What would have happened to any boats in the vincinity of that eruption? Could it sink a boat? Maybe molten rock melt the hull of a ship? Was the blast expected or was it a surprise??? Thanks for any info.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by owly

I apologize for the tone of my previous post. This is clearly doing a lot of damage... The idea of a 4 foot tsunami does seem a bit absurd in comparison to the devastating tsunamis in Indonesia and Japan, etc.

These low lying villages would be extremely vulnerable in fact completely wiped off the face of the earth in a tsunami like the 2011 Japan event.


Are we ready for Cascadia? There is a fairly high statistical probability that it will happen within the lifetime of children of today... an M9 quake is no laughing matter. In reality it could happen today.... or a a few hundred years from now... who knows? The 1946 tsunami from a quake in Alaska reached a height of 138 locally! When it does happen, it will probably be the most anticipated natural disaster in history other than climate change.

In 2016, I was in Crescent City, CA and Brookings, OR, where both marinas were totally devastated. The photos were frightening.

[owly]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Well I just watched video of the tsunami in Tonga on Youtube. The footage is pretty frightening, and there's no doubt that some people have died as a result.

Quite honestly, I find your tone to be callous, flippant, and completely inappropriate.

A tsunami doesn't produce a single 4 ft wave like you see on the beach. It's a 4 foot wall of water that just keeps coming, and coming, and coming. Image 4 ft of water flowing through your house.

Again, I apologize for my tone...... Watching video of locals standing near the beach as the tsunami sweeps past them at waist level taking photos, one knocked off his feet briefly as in the video I posted, it's hard take it very seriously. There obviously was significant property damage......but it is hardly on par with what we are used to seeing when tsunami strikes.

[owly]

Originally Posted by Sailing4venture

This is crazy, I saw the satellite video. It is huge. Even the sonic boom was huge. What would have happened to any boats in the vincinity of that eruption? Could it sink a boat? Maybe molten rock melt the hull of a ship? Was the blast expected or was it a surprise??? Thanks for any info.

Google the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, and you will find accounts of ships in the vicinity... the shock wave was said to have broken eardrums miles away, and the decks of ships were pelted with solidified lava and pumice.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Sailing4venture.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by owly

I apologize for the tone of my previous post. This is clearly doing a lot of damage... The idea of a 4 foot tsunami does seem a bit absurd in comparison to the devastating tsunamis in Indonesia and Japan, etc.

These low lying villages would be extremely vulnerable in fact completely wiped off the face of the earth in a tsunami like the 2011 Japan event.

Japan Tsunami | National Geographic






Are we ready for Cascadia? There is a fairly high statistical probability that it will happen within the lifetime of children of today... an M9 quake is no laughing matter. In reality it could happen today.... or a a few hundred years from now... who knows? The 1946 tsunami from a quake in Alaska reached a height of 138 locally! When it does happen, it will probably be the most anticipated natural disaster in history other than climate change.

4' doesn't sound all that dramatic until you remember that ic an be moving at up to 500mph.

[El Pinguino]

They just tested the tsunami alarms here - well I hope they were just testing them.

[capn_billl]

ANY Tsunami can be a serious event, and should be taken seriously.

Depending on the pitch of the shoreline a 4 meter wave at sea can have a wavelength of up to hundreds of meters when it comes ashore.

Underwater terrain features, and relative bay inlet dimensions can all affect the ending wave height or damage at a specific point in the shoreline. These effects can be difficult to predict.

In this case the volume of water displaced by the eruption was relatively small, but it could have been much worse.

It was still a threat to life, and property.

The last tsunami to hit Hawaii was only 3 ft, and destroyed hundreds of boats, and several marinas.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by Sailing4venture

This is crazy, I saw the satellite video. It is huge. Even the sonic boom was huge. What would have happened to any boats in the vincinity of that eruption?

I was wondering the same thing. I wonder if anyone with a Marinetraffic subscription can playback traffic from before the blast?

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

4' doesn't sound all that dramatic until you remember that ic an be moving at up to 500mph.

It's not moving anywhere near that fast when it comes ashore.