Tsunami warning? Nothing [1]
Saturday, October 3, 2009 - 14:30. Updated on Sunday, April 20, 2014 - 17:27.
Editor:
Regarding the submission by Firitia (Kik Velt) on "Tsunami", may I say that the information he presents concerning the behavior of tsunami waves in the open ocean is correct, but his contention that small islands are uneffected by a tsunami wave is nonsense, his time-line of actual events is inaccurate, and his conclusion about the
need for a warning system is unjustified.
All theoretical information aside, when the tsunami wave struck Niuatoputapu, it resulted in seven or more deaths, and significant damage to the village.
On the island of Lifuka, in Ha'apai, there was far more damage than "minor flooding." The initial tsunami wave itself was about one meter in height, followed by several waves of lesser height. The subsequent turbulence and the rapidly shifting currents in the Pangai harbor resulted in the sinking of 2 fishing boats, and the grounding of several others. Two boats
were torn from their moorings and drifted nearly a kilometer before running aground. The heavy mooring lines tying the fuel tanker "MT Punalei" to the commercial wharf simply snapped, the vessel went adrift in the harbor, and collided with at least one other vessel.
It is true that the town of Pangai did not experience serious flooding, and that there was no loss of life, but the damage done was certainly not "minor." It was sheer good fortune that
the tanker vessel did not go hard aground, with the possibility of a fuel spill.
The actual time-line of events, as stated in the PTWC bulletins and reports by eye-witnesses, goes like this:
6:48am - magnitude 8 earthquake, approximately 120 miles from both Niuatoputapu
and Pago Pago
6:59am (+/- 2 minutes) - the first tsunami wave strikes Pago Pago and Niuatoputapu with a wave height of approximately 5 feet, and probably higher due to local
conditions
7:04am - Tsunami Warning issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, in Hawaii
7:25am - tsunami wave strikes Pangai, Lifuka Island, wave height 3-4 feet
8:07am - tsunami wave reaches Nuku'alofa, wave height approx. 6 inches
You can see that the people of Niuatoputapu got no warning of an impending tsunami, other than the earthquake itself. However, it is also clear that approximately 20 minutes elapsed between the time of the PTWC warning and the time that the tsunami struck Ha'apai, and a full hour before the wave reached Nuku'alofa.
Certainly, even 10 minutes is sufficient time for a warning to be received in Tonga, through official channels, and a local warning issued by Radio Tonga. At least two residents of Pangai received telephone calls from relatives overseas (one from America and one from Europe), informing them
of the tsunami warning, before the wave struck Ha'apai!
The fact is that no warning whatsoever was issued, by any agency of the government here, until after the tsunami struck Ha'apai: nothing on Radio Tonga, nothing on the Tonga Met website, no policemen with bullhorns . . . nothing.
In his letter to the editor, Firitia (Kik Velt) asks if a warning system in Tonga is necessary, and his answer is ". . . clearly and definitely: no." First of all, any warning system is better than none at all.
Secondly, how difficult and expensive would it be to install something as simple as a siren or klaxon horn at local police and fire stations? Why Firitia (Kik Velt) would dismiss the need for such a simple warning system, because of the "physical properties of red waves", is incomprehensible.
Now, the Kingdom of Tonga has a formal "National Disaster Plan and Emergency Procedures" document on record. This document outlines, in general terms, the roles of various government agencies and officials in respect to warning the public of impending events. The document is available to the public online at:
http://www.met.gov.to/index_files/national%20disaster%20plan.pdf [2]
Perhaps it is time for a review of this Plan, with the intention of implementing Emergency Procedures, including warnings, in a timely and effective manner. Perhaps a few lives could be saved.
Tama Pangai