Earthquake off the coast: New Zealand raises its tsunami warning

Friday, March 5, 2021

An earthquake off the coast
New Zealand raises its tsunami warning

About 100 kilometers from New Zealand, the earth shook several times. As a result, the authorities issued a tsunami warning in large parts of the Pacific. Now it appears that the great tsunami is over.

Sigh of relief in New Zealand: Thousands of people who fled their homes in fear of a tsunami are being allowed to return. And the Civil Defense announced that the tsunami warning was issued to large parts of the Pacific region after a violent earthquake was raised, and the largest waves passed. However, you should stay away from the beaches and the sea. Previously, three violent earthquakes rocked the country, and tsunami warnings were issued with waves up to three meters high. Initially, there was no information about possible damages or casualties.

The Civil Protection Agency announced that it had detected tsunamis in several places along the coast. Three major earthquakes have been recorded in the past. The strongest earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.1, occurred near the Karmadec Islands, 800 km northeast of the North Island of New Zealand. Shortly afterwards, it was followed by another one with a force of 7.4 in the same area. Hours earlier, there were earthquakes of magnitude 7.1 magnitude 100 km off the coast of the Gisborne region.

However, the Civil Defense continued to warn of strong and unusual currents and unpredictable floods. People can drown as a result. There is a danger to swimmers, surfers, fishermen, small boats, and anyone in or near the water near the shore.

The Pacific Tsunami Early Warning System (PTWC) warned of a tsunami after the earthquake. Residents of affected coastal areas have been asked to reach safety and monitor the situation closely. Emergency Management Minister Kiritapu Allan said people should stay in remote areas or in high altitude areas until everything is cleared up.

The tsunami warning has also been applied to archipelagos such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Tonga, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. The Kermadec Islands, where the two largest earthquakes occurred, is part of New Zealand but hundreds of kilometers off the coast. According to reports, the area felt its first earthquake that night, including the major cities of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Just last month, New Zealand thought about the Christchurch earthquake victims ten years ago. On February 22, 2011, 185 people were killed in the largest city on the South Island. The quake measured 6.2 magnitude.