An underwater volcano in the South Pacific erupted violently on Saturday, triggering a tsunami that hit Hawaii, Japan and Tonga's largest island, Tongatapu - flooding the capital.
The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Hapai volcano, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) southeast of Tonga's Fonuafou Island, erupted the first time on Friday and the second on Saturday at around 5:26 p.m. Local time, according to CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand (RNZ).
According to RNZ, the explosions sent a plume of ash, gas and steam 20 kilometers (12.4 mi) into the air. Satellite imagery showed a massive ash cloud and shockwaves emanating from the explosion. Ash was falling from the sky in Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa on Saturday evening and phone connections were cut.
The blast caused a massive tsunami to hit Tongtapu, where the capital is located, on Saturday, rippling through coastal roads and flooding properties.
So far, New Zealand officials have received no reports of deaths or injuries related to the explosion in Tonga, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a news conference on Sunday.
He said the tsunami had a "significant impact" on Nuku'alofa, with boats and large boulders ashore, and shops along the shore damaged.
RNZ reported residents fled to higher ground as waves washed away the coast, main street and grounds of the Royal Palace of Tonga. Although it was dusk, the sky already looks dark with a cloud of ash in the video.
King Taupo VI of Tonga was evicted from the palace, with the RNZ citing local media reports that a convoy of police and soldiers escorted the king to a villa in Mata Ki Ua.
Telecoms were affected, although it is not yet clear how extensive the damage is, Ardern said, adding that the main underwater cable has been affected due to the loss of power.
Ardern said the New Zealand government has committed an initial $340,000 to support relief supplies, technical assistance and local responses, with the country's defense force sending aid to Tonga.
He said that although the conditions in the area looked stable, further eruptive activity could not be ruled out.
Influence in japan
The eruption also had an impact throughout the Pacific, as tsunami warnings and advisories were issued from parts of New Zealand and Japan to the United States and Canada to British Columbia.
According to the National Weather Service, a tsunami warning means people nearby should be inland or seek higher ground immediately, while an advisory means they should stay off shore and away from the water.
Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami advisory for the country's coastal areas on Sunday morning, with waves of up to 2.7 meters (9 feet) in the northeastern prefecture of Iwate. According to the public broadcaster NHK, several minor tsunamis were reported in several other places.
The meteorological agency said that by Sunday afternoon, all tsunami advisories had been lifted. Weather agency officials ruled out the possibility of further tsunamis across the country, but said there could be some tidal fluctuations.
NHK said Japan's coast guard was assessing the damage, but no one had yet been reported, noting it was still dark and more waves were expected. Officials continued to ask people to remain alert and stay off the beaches.
Footage shared on NHK from a viewer in Setochi City on Amami Oshima Island showed bumper-to-bumper traffic as cars were evacuated upwards. Other footage showed people sleeping on the floor in evacuation centers in Iwate.
Elsewhere, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said it recorded a tsunami wave of 1.2 meters (about 4 feet) near Nuku'alofa at 5:30 p.m. Local time on Saturday. And the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves of 2.7 feet (0.8 meters) were seen by gauge in Nuku'alofa and 2 feet in Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa, Reuters reported.
The nearby Fiji island also issued a public advisory asking people living in low-lying coastal areas to "move to safety in anticipation of strong currents and dangerous waves". Footage from the ground showed people rushing to higher ground in Fiji's capital Suva as large waves hit the shore.
In Samoa, another Pacific island nation, a tsunami watch is in effect for all low-lying coastal areas, the Samoa Meteorological Service said, advising residents and visitors to stay away from beach areas.
An earlier tsunami advisory for the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu was called off, with the country's national disaster management issuing an "all clear". The office had previously advised residents to move away from the beach and seek higher ground.
Waves seen in America
According to the National Weather Service office in San Diego, the eruption also sent waves to the US West Coast, ranging in height between 3 and 4 feet.
The highest waves ever recorded were in Port San Luis, California (4.3 feet); King Cove, Alaska (3.3 feet); Area Cove, California (3.7 feet); Crescent City, California (3.7 feet); and Port Reyes, Calif. (2.9 feet).
The first tsunami waves were felt on the west coast on Saturday morning, according to Dave Snyder, tsunami warning coordinator at the National Weather Service's National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska.
Nikolsky, Alaska, saw waves as high as 1.2 feet, he told CNN via telephone, while Atka, Adak and King Cove, Alaska, saw waves of up to 1 foot.
"It may not be the biggest wave because it is yet to come," Snyder told CNN, adding that the event was not over.
According to the National Tsunami Warning Center, the initial coastal tsunami advisory included the states of California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. The advisories have been canceled for many of these areas, and are now only in effect for parts of the California coast, according to the National Weather Service on Saturday night.
Pacific Tsunami Alert tweeted that no damage has been reported from the tsunami in the Hawaiian Islands so far. The agency canceled a tsunami advisory for Hawaii on Saturday morning.
Adam Weintraub, a spokesman for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, told CNN that "there are no reports of major damage so far," although the impact was felt in several islands. Officials were still assessing the damage.
The effects were comparable to a "high king tide", Weintraub had previously said, telling CNN that parking lots and port areas were flooded, which he described as "nuisance flooding."
Speaking by telephone, Snyder said, "We don't really have a good forecast because this event is based on a volcano rather than an earthquake."
Nonetheless, the National Weather Service in Seattle urged caution on the US Pacific Coast on Saturday. NWS Seattle tweeted, "Exit beach and harbor and marina in these areas."
The city of Laguna Beach, California, closed all beaches, boardwalks, harbors and ferries until further notice in response to a tsunami advisory on Saturday morning, telling residents, "Please stay out of the water and away from shore."
Fire Chief Rob Young said the waves came at a time of high tide. The initial wave came at around 7:40 a.m. local time, he said, with a 1- to 2-foot wave at the peak of high tide. The largest wave came at around 8:49 a.m. local time, causing a rise of about 7 feet over the harbor. A subsequent surge after 10 a.m. "diminished."
"When it comes, it comes quickly," he said. "Not only is a 1-foot wave, but it comes in buoyancy because it first draws all the water in, and then comes in."
He said there was some damage in the harbor and some docks. Young said there had also been "slight flooding" on the beaches and up to the city's first surface road.
All beaches and harbors will be closed by noon local time, Smith said, and people were evacuated from nearby stores and the area near the port, although none have been evacuated from their homes. A surf competition has been postponed and is expected to resume later on Saturday.
New Zealand on alert
According to New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency, a tsunami advisory was also issued for coastal areas off the north and east coast of New Zealand's North Island and the Chatham Islands, where "strong and unusual currents and unexpected surges along the coast" are expected. Was.
New Zealand's official weather service said weather stations across the country saw an "increased pressure" from the eruption on Saturday evening.
Emily Lane, a scientist at New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, told the New Zealand Science Media Center that it was a "very significant" eruption.
"The shock wave is clearly visible in satellite imagery and there are reports of an explosion at least as far away as New Zealand," she said. "The tsunami from the eruption reached more than 2,500 km, which has been recorded on gauges throughout Aotearoa."
Lane said tsunamis generated by volcanoes are much less common than tsunamis caused by underwater earthquakes.
1.14.2022: (correction on date) Large volcanic eruption near Tonga (Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano) today as seen from outer space. Shown on visible imagery using the Himawari satellite. #hiwx #tsunami #earthquake pic.twitter.com/Y18W7wvXl9
— NWSHonolulu (@NWSHonolulu) January 15, 2022
A small eruption in late 2014 and early 2015 built the crater of the volcano above the water's surface, Lane said, but it is not yet clear how Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Hapai erupted on this occasion. "When we see what's left of the island after this explosion, we can start to put together the pieces of what happened," she said.
Professor Shane Cronin, from the School of the Environment at the University of Auckland, told the New Zealand Science Media Center researching historic eruptions by the same volcano that the current eruption episode could last for weeks or months "and further similar-sized eruptions scheduled for 15 January 2022 are possible." "
"The eruption is likely to result in significant ash fall (up to 10 cm) in Tongatapu as well as the Haapai group of islands," he said. "Help will be needed to restore drinking water supplies. The people of Tonga should also be on alert for further eruptions and especially tsunamis and avoid low-lying areas with short notice."
According to the NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, the tsunami warning previously issued for American Samoa has been rescinded.
According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, there is no tsunami threat to Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands from a "distant eruption".
The volcano had been active since 20 December, but was declared inactive on 11 January, according to the RNZ.