A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the South Pacific on Friday, triggering tsunami warnings for several Pacific island nations. But hours later, no significant damage was reported.
Waves up to 10 feet high can attack VanuatuThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s tsunami warning system initially said it, then revised that estimate to 3 feet. Government of Vanuatuan island nation with a population of about 300,000, urged people in coastal areas to move to higher ground.
Vanuatu officials later said the threat was over. Its meteorology department said waves just over 2 feet high were recorded.
The quake struck southeast of the Loyalty Islands in the French territory of New Caledonia at around 2 p.m. local time.
The US agency has issued a tsunami warning for coasts within 600 miles of the quake’s epicenter, including Vanuatu. It initially said waves as high as 3 feet could hit the coast of New Caledonia and elsewhere, including Fiji, Kiribati and New Zealand, but later revised that estimate down to 1 foot or low than.
Government in New Caledonia request people evacuated from coastal areas. National Emergency Management Authority in New Zealand speak It expected coastal areas of the country to experience “strong and irregular currents and unpredictable shoreline surges” and urged people along its northeast coast to move. away from beaches, harbors and rivers.
Four hours after the quake struck, no significant damage was reported, either in Vanuatu or elsewhere. image And video from Vanuatu news agencies showed water flooding the roads beside the beaches and boats bobbing in coves.
