Rumble - gemuruh
Rattle – berdetak
Thunderous – hujan badai petir
Flee
Japan's Pacific coast was hit early Sunday by a tsunami
following a massive underwater volcanic eruption in the South Pacific island country of Tonga the previous day,
prompting the weather agency to issue a tsunami warning and advisories
while over 210,000 residents were urged to move to high ground.
a 3-meter tsunami may hit some of Japan's southwestern islands
A 1.2-meter tsunami was observed in the city of Amami shortly before Saturday midnight,
while a 1.1-meter tsunami arrived in Iwate Prefecture at 2:26 a.m.
Sunday.
This file photo shows white gaseous clouds rising from the Hunga Ha'apai eruption.
Frightened Tongans fled to higher ground on January 15, 2022
after the latest eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano -- heard in neighbouring countries –
after the latest eruption triggered tsunami warnings across the South Pacific.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
at least 210,000 people in seven prefectures were asked to flee from the seaside.
a weather agency official called on residents of Japan's Pacific coast to remain away from seaside areas until the warning and advisories are lifted,
noting that multiple tsunami waves may arrive.
A tsunami warning was last issued
in Japan in November 2016, after a magnitude 7.4 quake rattled northeastern
Japan.
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A massive volcanic eruption in Tonga that triggered tsunami waves around the Pacific
A massive volcanic eruption caused "significant damage" to the island nation's capital and smothered it in dust.
The eruption Saturday was so powerful it was recorded around the world,
triggering a tsunami that flooded Pacific coastlines from Japan to the United States.
The capital Nuku'alofa suffered "significant" damage,
there had been no reports of injury of death but
a full assessment was not yet possible
with communication lines down.
"The tsunami has had
a significant impact on the foreshore on the northern side of
Nuku'alofa with boats and large boulders washed ashore.
"Nuku'alofa is covered in a thick film of volcanic dust
but otherwise conditions are calm and stable.
" However, there has been no word on damage in the outer islands
and New Zealand will send an air force reconnaissance aircraft "as soon as atmospheric conditions allow.
"We're working hard to
see how we can assist our Pacific neighbours after the volcanic eruption near
Tonga."
The United States was "deeply concerned for the people of Tonga,"
Blinken pledged support for the island nation.
A 1.2 metre wave swept ashore in the Tongan capital with locals reporting
they had fled to higher ground, leaving behind flooded houses,
some with structural damage, and with small stones and ash falling from the sky.
"It was massive, the ground shook, our house was shaking.
It came in waves. My younger brother thought bombs were exploding nearby
water filled their home minutes later
and she saw the wall of a neighbouring house collapse.
'People screaming' "We just knew straight away it was a tsunami.
Just water gushing into our home.
"You could just hear screams everywhere, people screaming for safety, for everyone to get to higher ground."
Tonga's King Tupou VI was reported to have been evacuated from the Royal Palace in Nuku'alofa
and taken by police convoy to a villa well away from the coastline.
Dramatic satellite images showed the long, rumbling eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano spew smoke and ash in the air,
with a thunderous roar heard 10,000 kilometres (6,000 miles) away in Alaska.
The eruption triggered tsunamis across the Pacific
with waves of 1.74 metres (five and a half feet) measured in Chanaral, Chile, more than 10,000 kilometres away,
and smaller waves seen along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico.
Waves of around 1.2 metres (four feet) hit along Japan's Pacific coast.
By 0300 GMT Sunday, the threat from the eruption had passed.
The US Geological Survey recorded Saturday's eruption as equivalent to a 5.8-magnitude earthquake at zero depth.
The volcano's eruption lasted at least eight minutes
and sent plumes of gas, ash and smoke several kilometres into the air.
scientist described the impact of the eruption as "relatively mild"
but said another eruption with a much bigger impact could not be ruled out.
The eruption was so powerful it was even heard in Alaska.
"A part of the pressure signal in Alaska was in the audible range.
The very large signal is not that surprising considering the scale of the eruption, but the audible aspect is fairly unique.
"He recalls only a couple other volcanic eruptions doing something like this: Krakatau and Novarupta,
it was "just incredible to think of the power that can send a shockwave around the world" after the eruptions produced a jump in its air pressure graph.
Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai, which lies about 65 kilometres north of Nuku'alofa, has a history of volatility.
In recent years, it breached sea level during a 2009 eruption
while in 2015 it spewed so many large rocks and ash into the air
that when they settled a new island had formed two kilometres long by one
kilometre wide and 100 metres high.
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Tsunami-hit Tonga remained largely uncontactable on Sunday with telephone and internet links severed,
leaving relatives in faraway New Zealand praying for their families on the Pacific islands
as casualty reports had yet to come through.
An underwater volcano off Tonga erupted on Saturday,
triggering warnings of 1.2-metre tsunami waves and evacuation orders on the shores of Tonga as well as several South Pacific islands,
where footage on social media showed waves crashing into coastal homes.
Internet and phone lines went down at about 6.40 p.m. local time on Saturday,
leaving the 105,000 residents on the islands virtually
uncontactable.
There are no official reports of injuries or deaths in Tonga as yet
although communications are limited
and contact has not been established with coastal areas beyond the capital Nuku'alofa,
Tonga, an island nation with around 105,000 residents, lies 2,383 kilometres (1,481 miles) northeast of New Zealand.
"Nuku'alofa is covered in thick plumes of volcanic dust but otherwise conditions are calm and stable.
"We have not yet received
news from other coastal areas.
Satellite images captured the volcanic eruption.
the explosion sent plumes of smoke into the air and about 12 miles above the sea level.
The sky over Tonga was darkened by the ash.
Concerns were growing among the Tongan community in New Zealand, desperate to make contact with their families back home.
Some churches organised community prayers in Auckland and other cities.
"We pray God will help our country at this sad moment.
We hope everybody is safe.
The main undersea communications cable has been impacted, likely due to loss of power.
Power was being restored in some areas on the islands
and local mobile phones were slowly starting to work.
Official damage assessments were not yet available.
the tsunami has damaged boats, shops and other infrastructure.
Australia would sent a P8 surveillance aircraft to Tonga on Monday.
Ha'apai volcano has erupted regularly over the past few decades but
Saturday's eruption was so loud that residents parts of faraway Fiji and New Zealand said they heard it.
"My entire house was shaking,"
"My doors, windows were all rattling like hell. And mine was not even as bad as others.
Hundreds of people ran out of their homes.
Rumblings and eruptions from the volcano continued to be heard through the night.
Hundreds of people were moved to evacuation centres in Suva.
Fiji Airways had to cancel all its flights due to the ash clouds.
"This is the worst disaster Tonga has had in living memory and the recovery from this is going to take years,"
the ash fallout could contaminate drinking water and cause respiratory issues.
"Help will be needed to restore drinking water supplies.
A must remain vigilant at all times.
People of Tonga must also remain vigilant for further eruptions
and especially tsunami with short notice and should avoid low lying areas.
Hundreds of thousands of Japanese citizens were advised to evacuate as waves
of more than a metre hit coastal areas.
The eruptions triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific.
the US urged people on its Pacific coastline to stay away from the shores.
Australia's New South Wales region closed beaches.
Combine:
The eruptions triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific, with the United States urging people on its Pacific coastline to stay away from the shores and Australia's New South Wales region closing beaches.
