Tsunami warning for east coast of Aus.

[scooter]

Morning.

News is reporting that as a result of an earthquake at the Solomon Islands, reported variously as 7.8 or 8.1 on the Richter scale, there is a tsunami warning out, apparently potentially affecting the entire east coast of Australia.

Cairns is the most vulnerable I think, could be affected not long after 9am this morning, & this will be a guage as to the impact on the coast further down.

Without wanting to sound dramatic, please consider the above, thoughts & prayers are with anyone potentially affected.


Regards................Sean

[HappyHammer]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...366110823.html

http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/warnings.shtml

HH.

[journeyman Mick]

Expected to hit Cairns at 9.49, but could affect us for up to two hours after this. As some of you may know I'm at the hospital with my wife. The hospital is just across the road from Trinity inlet and thus I'll have a ringside seat from the third floor should we be hit. My ute is only a few hundred metres from the water so it'll go for a swim. I thought about moving it but Cairns is very flat and low lying and I doubt I'd get it moved to higher ground and get back in time. The mobile phone network is overloaded and it's hard to get a line. They've sent all the day patients home and are evacuating the ground floor of the hospital. Some staff are being sent home.

I'm not really worried, but I'd rather be home in Kuranda which is a few hundred metres higher. I might lose ythe ute, which is a bugger because it took me ages to find a single cab, turbo diesel, 4wd, drop side ute. I won't want it after it's been drowned in salty water, even if insurance gets it all repaired. In te4h scheme of things though I won't lose any sleep over it. I've got a Queensland Fire and Rescue two way radio so I'll be able to monitor any developments. I'll let you know what, if anything happens.

Mick

[jmk89]

Mick - looks like you don't need to worry about a tsunami - the latest (9.17) from the BoM indicates that there is probably no wave. But they're still looking for one, in case.

[RufflyRustic]

Whew!!!!!!, You are not on the Esplanade!!!!

As for the ute - I know my timing's way off - have a look at Mazda's BT50, 4wd, turbo diesel, etc what you listed.


cheers
Wendy

[docusk]

We here in the UK have no conception of what a Tsunami can do. We saw the films of the last huge one that killed so many in the general area but it can't really explain it all. I do hope it comes to nothing and that our good friends in the potentially damaged area are OK. Hope the Ute is fine and dandy!
Best wishes to all,

docusk

[dazzler]

Thanks scooter

Im off to the beach with me board

[scooter]

Reports seem to be indicating threat is easing, best to be positive though methinks.

[journeyman Mick]

Emergency services have just stood everyone down, but the hospital management haven't heard yet and are still on standby.

Wendy,
there's plenty of new ones, finding a 2nd hand one, even a clunker, is not so easy and if you want a good one, well I looked for well over a year to find one. Will be wandering down the corridor to look at the inlet every so often for the next coupl,e of hours though.

Mick

[Bleedin Thumb]

The warning is still current for NSW, the beaches are still closed, I hope it comes to nothing, its a worry though - the kids school is not that far from the beach.

[Bleedin Thumb]

If nothing else this scare has exposed how unprepared we are for this sort of natural (or otherwise) disaster. The politician's better pull their finger out and come up with a working paper on what will happen when there is an impending disaster.

After all their rhetoric about being prepared for terrorist attacks they can't even let the population know that there has been a prediction that there may be a Tsumami.
Imagine if today's event eventuated on the whole Eastern seaboard -how many millions of people could have been killed?

Not good enough John!

[silentC]

I'm in the throes of joining up with the SES. There is a documented plan that specifically deals with Tsunamis. The State govt has a State wide one, and then the SES has them at various levels down to local area. The local area one would have things like where to send evacuated people, who is in charge of what, etc etc. I'll find out if it was activated or not.

The thing I wonder about is how people are going to be notified of it. SWMBO has been home all day working on Uni stuff and she didn't know anything about it until I mentioned it. If you don't watch the news or turn on the radio, how are you supposed to know about it?

[dazzler]

Hi bleedin

well it was on the radio, it was on TV, it was on the internet.

They put out warnings to stay away from beaches, leave tidal influenced rivers, boats near shore to return and dock, those out further to head out to deep water. Also to move to Higher ground.All the beaches on the east coast were reportedly closed. That just about covers it doesnt it

What else should they do?

Mass evacuations?. Had they tried that today more people would have died as a result of crashes and crushes and then there would have been hell to pay.

I have tried to evacuate people from homes when there has been huge bushfires, smoke and embers falling around them and still many did not want to leave. I think many would stay until the water hit, that is human nature.

Perhaps some general sirens for all communities to switch on the radio to listen to updates maybe.

cheers

dazler

[dazzler]

see here;

http://www.emergency.nsw.gov.au/content.php/99.html

and here;

http://www.emergency.nsw.gov.au/content.php/170.html

[Bleedin Thumb]

Hi Daz, those links are all well and good if you know about them. I cant see why there isn't a dedicated TV and radio channel that kicks in when needed to keep us up to date.

That sterile "put you head between your legs" type of message in those links is no good.

And as far as the warnings go today - be on your guard in low lying areas... thats where most of us work and live. The Boxing day Tsunami went more than 5 klm inland in places didn't it?

We need something at least as intense as the cyclone warnings are in the top end. You don't miss those.