Bill Harsey
03-28-2005, 12:10
Monday, 28 March, 20 minutes ago, Another earthquake is being reported near Sumatra, magnitude 8.2.
Tsunami warnings are said to be out, not supposed to be as bad as last one.
Use Google and type in "earthquake" then click on news at the top.
You will get more there than I can link here.
edited to add, China news reporting that southern Thailand coast is being evacuated.
magician
03-28-2005, 12:47
holy shit.
just got a tsunami warning from the AMEMB-Bangkok.
Attention American Citizens: The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii has issued the following bulletin regarding an earthquake that occurred off the coast of Indonesia. The U.S. Embassy has received no indications of a tsunami in Thailand at this time. However, Thai authorities have issued a tsunami warning and are alerting coastal residents and hotels of the possibility of a tsunami in the Andaman Sea area.
The U.S. Embassy urges all Americans to exercise appropriate caution and to monitor local media for additional details.
The U.S. Embassy Consular Section is located at 95 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand (Nearest BTS Skytrain station: Phloen Chit)
American Citizen Services Unit Window Hours:
Monday - Friday, 7:30 - 11 AM and 1 - 2 PM
Note: The ACS unit is CLOSED on the last Friday of every month.
Tel: +66-2-205-4049 Fax: +66-2-205-4103
E-mail: acsbkk@state.gov <mailto:acsbkk@state.gov>
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
ORIGIN TIME - 1610Z 28 MAR 2005
COORDINATES - 2.3 NORTH 97.1 EAST
LOCATION - NORTHERN SUMATERA INDONESIA
MAGNITUDE - 8.5
EVALUATION
WARNING... THIS EARTHQUAKE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE A WIDELY
DESTRUCTIVE TSUNAMI IN THE OCEAN OR SEAS NEAR THE EARTHQUAKE.
AUTHORITIES IN THOSE REGIONS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY
AND TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION. THIS ACTION SHOULD INCLUDE EVACUATION
OF COASTS WITHIN A THOUSAND KILOMETERS OF THE EPICENTER AND CLOSE
MONITORING TO DETERMINE THE NEED FOR EVACUATION FURTHER AWAY.
THIS CENTER DOES NOT HAVE SEA LEVEL GAUGES OUTSIDE THE PACIFIC
SO WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DETECT OR MEASURE A TSUNAMI IF ONE WAS
GENERATED. AUTHORITIES CAN ASSUME THE DANGER HAS PASSED IF NO
TSUNAMI WAVES ARE OBSERVED IN THE REGION NEAR THE EPICENTER
WITHIN THREE HOURS OF THE EARTHQUAKE.
an 8.5 is no freakin' joke.
shit. People are going to freak out here.
Roguish Lawyer
03-28-2005, 12:52
holy shit.
just got a tsunami warning from the AMEMB-Bangkok.
an 8.5 is no freakin' joke.
shit. People are going to freak out here.
Let us know if you need anything. Good luck.
magician
03-28-2005, 14:01
hopefully...I am not relaxing prematurely...but it appears that no wave has been spotted yet.....and if there were a wave...it should have hit land by now.
really sad....people in Phuket literally ran for the freakin' hills when the alert was disseminated.
got to say....it felt good to receive an alert from the American Embassy in Bangkok. I appreciate that.
Roguish Lawyer
03-28-2005, 14:05
got to say....it felt good to receive an alert from the American Embassy in Bangkok. I appreciate that.
See, NDD, the State Department isn't all bad. LOL
Sacamuelas
03-28-2005, 14:06
The US Geo gurus upgraded it to an 8.7 an hour ago.
Good to hear that no news of a wave... no news is good news in this case. :cool:
Bill Harsey
03-28-2005, 14:18
According to some news reports, earthquake upgraded to 8.7
No tsunami reported yet.
Earthquake #1....Day after Christmas.
Earthquake #2....Day after Easter.
Weird.
AngelsSix
03-28-2005, 17:50
Whoa, that is weird. I am off to look for a plot of the epicenter on a map.
Latest reports:
Major Quake Off Indonesia Kills Nearly 300
36 minutes ago World - AP Asia
By MICHAEL CASEY, Associated Press Writer
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake struck late Monday off Indonesia's west coast, killing nearly 300 people whose homes collapsed on them and spreading panic across the Indian Ocean that another killer tsunami was on the way.
Latest Headlines:
· Over 300 feared dead as giant Indonesian quake triggers tsunami panic
AFP - 5 minutes ago
· US-based expert says danger of major tsunami in Asia has subsided
AFP - 11 minutes ago
· Major Quake Off Indonesia Kills Nearly 300
AP - 36 minutes ago
But fears of a second tsunami catastrophe in just over three months eased within hours, as officials in countries at risk reported their coasts clear of the type of quake-spawned waves that ravaged a dozen countries in Asia and Africa on Dec. 26.
All of the deaths reported in the hours immediately after Monday's quake were on Indonesia's Nias island, off Sumatra's west coast, which was close to the epicenter.
In one town, Gunungsitoli, about 70 percent of buildings had collapsed in the market district, officials said.
"Hundreds of buildings have been damaged or have collapsed," said Agus Mendrofa, the island's deputy district head. He told el-Shinta radio station that at least 296 people had died in Gunungsitoli.
Nias, a renowned surfing spot, was badly hit on Dec. 26, when at least 340 residents were killed and 10,000 were left homeless.
The U.S. Geological Survey measured Monday's quake at magnitude 8.7 and said its epicenter was 155 miles south-southeast of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province on Sumatra island.
The quake struck just 110 miles southwest of the 9.0-magnitude temblor of Dec. 26. The earlier quake and the tsunami it triggered killed at least 175,000 people in 12 Indian Ocean nations and left another 106,000 missing.
On Monday, panic spread and sirens sounded as authorities issues tsunami alerts for six countries after the quake struck at 11:06 p.m. as many people were sleeping.
Women clutching children ran into the darkened streets of Banda Aceh, crying and chanting "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great." Others grabbed small bags of clothes and fled their tents and homes for higher ground.
Another man rushed instead to the local mosque, saying "Where can I go, you can't outrun a tsunami."
The quake lasted two minutes and briefly cut electricity. Thousands poured into the streets, where flickering camp-fires and motorbike and car headlights provided the only lighting.
People grabbed small bags of clothes as they fled their tents and homes. Many were crying and jumping into cars and onto motorbikes and pedicabs to head for higher ground. Two women wearing prayer shawls and sarongs grabbed a fence to steady themselves.
"People are still traumatized, still scared, they are running for higher ground," said Feri, a 24-year-old aid volunteer who goes by one name.
Panic gripped at least one relief camp in Banda Aceh. An Associated Press photographer saw thousands fleeing their tents — but with nowhere to go, they milled in crowds along the road.
Police with megaphones asked people not to panic and return to their tents. After a while, many started moving back.
In Malaysia, residents fled their shaking apartments and hotels.
"I was getting ready for bed, and suddenly, the room started shaking," said Jessie Chong, a resident of the largest city, Kuala Lumpur. "I thought I was hallucinating at first, but then I heard my neighbors screaming and running out."
Preliminary indications were that energy from Monday's quake might be directed toward the southwest, said Frank Gonzalez, an oceanographer with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration in Seattle.
The only tsunami reported was a tiny one — 10 inches — at the Cocos Islands, 1,400 miles west of Australia. No damage was reported.
"It seems this earthquake did not trigger a tsunami. If it had, the tsunami would have hit the coastline of Sumatra by now," said Prihar Yadi, a scientist with the Indonesia Geophysics Agency. "And if there's no tsunami on the coastline near the epicenter of the quake, there will not be one heading in the other direction."
Nevertheless, U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said U.S. diplomatic missions in Asia and Africa went into "battle mode" to respond quickly to any contingency. Authorities worldwide had been slow to recognize the magnitude of the Dec. 26 disaster.
Japan's Meteorological Agency reportedly notified six Indian Ocean countries — Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives and Malaysia — about a possible tsunami.
Officials said after the December disaster that a tsunami early warning system could have saved many lives. Such a system exists in the Pacific but has not been established in the Indian Ocean. Japan and the United States had planned to start providing tsunami warnings to countries around the Indian Ocean this month as a stopgap measure until the region establishes its own alert system.
Two aftershocks — one measuring 6.0 and another measuring 6.7 — were reported in the same region late Monday and early Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake was felt as far away as Singapore and the Thai capital, Bangkok, more than 435 miles from the epicenter.
Warning sirens blared along Sri Lanka's east coast, the government urged people to evacuate immediately to higher ground, and all-night trains traveling along the coast were suspended.
The Sri Lankan military was put on full alert and several naval ships were monitoring the coast, said military spokesman Brig. Daya Ratnayake. Fishermen at sea were warned not to return to shore.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga called an emergency meeting at her home with Cabinet members and went on state television to assure the country "we are taking all precautionary measures."
On Dec. 26, the tsunami crashed onto coastlines in Indonesia's Aceh province within 45 minutes of the massive earthquake hitting offshore, but Sri Lanka was hit several hours later after the waves traveled the breadth of the Indian Ocean.
In Malaysia, panicked residents of Kuala Lumpur and Penang fled their apartments and hotels after authorities activated fire alarms. Police evacuated low-lying coastal areas of the northern states of Penang and Kedah.
At the biggest refugee camp in Banda Aceh, people milled around the streets near the local television network, known as TVRI. Others huddled around television sets in cafes for news.
After some time, a voice on the camp intercom announced that people could return to their tents and that there was no tsunami.
Television images later showed a man yelling into a megaphone. This time, the man shouted, there was no tsunami. People could go back to their homes.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqinthenews/2005/usweax/
Bill Harsey
03-29-2005, 08:19
Scientists are reporting the possibility of a third major earthquake at some time along the same fault of these first two.
The graphics I saw broadcast showed a long fault line and the epicenter of earthquake one and two.
Think of this like a zipper being ripped apart.
The possible no. three earthquake would be the next point on that fault line.