tsunami warning australia newsAlmost all countries in the Pacific have been issued a warning, including Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Hawaii and as far as Russia and
Japan.
As a direct result of the tsunami generated off the coast of Indonesia on 26 December 2004, the
Australian Government identified the need to be able to warn the
tsunami warning australia news population of such phenomena, with the aim of minimising the loss of life and the economic impact on its population. At that time an informal
Australian Tsunami Alert System (ATAS) was operated jointly by the Bureau, GA and EMA. The ATAS system had limited capabilities in tsunami monitoring and warning.
The warning stretches from just north of Sydney up to Brisbane, but emergency services say there probably will not be any land inundation.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre says the tsunami could cause damage along the coasts of all the Hawaiian islands.
"Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property," the centre said in a bulletin. "All shores are at risk no matter which direction they face."
The tsunami has already caused serious damage to half of the southern island of Juan Fernandez, off the
tsunami warning australia news Chilean coast, according to local radio. An evacuation was underway on Easter Island as the waves approached.
President Michelle Bachelet has declared a "state of catastrophe" in affected areas and appealed for the Chilean people to remain calm.
CNN weather presenter Ivan Cabrera says the Chilean quake was 1,000 times stronger than the quake which rocked Haiti last month, virtually flattening the capital Port-au-Prince.
He says 3 million people would have felt severe shaking, and another 9 million strong to very strong shaking.
Tsunami are recorded in Australia about once every two
tsunami warning australia news years, and most are small and present little threat of land inundation to our coastal communities. However the abnormal waves, tides and currents caused by even relatively small tsunami can be dangerous to swimmers and mariners.