Sunday, February 28, 2010

Tsunami warning

As a result of the big earthquake in Chile, we were under a 'nondestructive' tsunami warning this morning.  It was predicted to be only 1-2 meters high, but could go quite a way inland and cause trouble.  They warned people away from beaches and low-lying areas, and cancelled some waterfront activities, like a bike race.  The Princess cruise ship that was docked at Prince's Wharf departed about an hour before the wave was due.

And what happened at 10:22, when the first swell was supposed to roll in?  Nothing.  The water level didn't seem to rise at all, and the surface remained just as still and calm as ever.  And no one seemed very concerned... there were sailboats in the harbor, as usual.  Ferries continued running.  Sightseers strolled the waterfront.  Well, Auckland IS on a protected harbor.  Apparently, along the exposed east coast, tsunami sensors detected surges of 0.4-1.0 meters, but the waves weren't visibly unusual.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Alhamdulillh,
Talk to you soon inshaAllah.