TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 0230Z 16 MAR 2010

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS…EXCEPT ALASKA…BRITISH COLUMBIA… WASHINGTON…OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

… TSUNAMI INFORMATION BULLETIN …

THIS BULLETIN IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.

THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME – 0222Z 16 MAR 2010
COORDINATES – 36.2 SOUTH 73.5 WEST
DEPTH – 10 KM
LOCATION – NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
MAGNITUDE – 6.7

EVALUATION

NO DESTRUCTIVE WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS BASED ON HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA.

HOWEVER – EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE SOMETIMES GENERATE LOCAL TSUNAMIS THAT CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS LOCATED WITHIN A HUNDRED KILOMETERS OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES IN THE REGION OF THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY BULLETIN ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.

THE WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL ISSUE PRODUCTS FOR ALASKA…BRITISH COLUMBIA…WASHINGTON…OREGON…CALIFORNIA.

A Coast Guard C-130 from Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii, offloads 20,000 pounds of baby formula, water and diapers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Jan. 22, 2010. The aircrew then loaded 65 U.S. citizens onto the plane and brought them to Homestead, Fla. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Andrew Paszkiewicz)

Special to Hawaii 24/7 by Petty Officer 3rd Class Angela Henderson

Honolulu – The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook Haiti Jan. 12, 2010, caused thousands of buildings to collapse in Port-au-Prince, trapping untold numbers, killing many and leaving more than one million people homeless. The quake was the worst in the region in more than 200 years.

According to the American Red Cross, the Haiti relief operation involved more emergency response teams than any other single-country disaster in global history; more than $67 million has been sent to meet the most urgent needs of earthquake survivors in Haiti.

More than 3 million pre-packaged meals were delivered by boat and aircraft to survivors, and more than 800,000 gallons of water were distributed. Shelter items, such as blankets, tarps, sleeping mats, and tents were also provided to families left homeless.

During the response to this major natural disaster, more than 30 nations, hundreds of non-governmental organizations, and more than 13,000 military personnel came to offer assistance.

From the thousands that responded, the U.S. Coast Guard sent more than 1,000 members from a variety of units. Of the nine cutters and 28 aircraft sent during the relief efforts, 14 Coast Guard aircrew members from Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii traveled more than 5,400 miles to join the multi-agency relief support in Port-au-Prince.

The Hawaii-based aircrews flew an HC-130 Hercules aircraft more than 14 hours to assist in air surveillance assessments, transporting medical and security personnel, relief supplies and evacuees.

“I’m just grateful that we were able to extend a helping hand in the Haiti relief efforts,” said Lt. Andrew Paszkiewicz, a Hercules pilot. “Just four months ago we helped in the tsunami response efforts in American Samoa; that’s why I joined the Coast Guard — to have the chance to help those in need and make a difference.”

With only three Hercules and four HH-65 Dolphin helicopters at Air Station Barbers Point, aircrews stood ready to help in any mission that came their way.

“It’s amazing that our air crews serve in such far flung places and that they were literally on opposite sides of the earth on the same day,” said Capt. Anthony Vogt, the air station’s commanding officer, “and yet we were still ready to assist the residents of Hawaii in the event of an emergency here at home in the islands.”

Days after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the Department of State was establishing a joint task force with the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services to streamline the process of adoptions, and to ensure that these families are united as quickly as possible, the air station crew flew 20 Haitian orphans to Homestead, Fla.

“If someone were to ask me about the earthquake that shook Haiti, the image that comes to mind are the orphans we flew back to south Florida,” said Paszkiewicz. “They were so tiny, so vulnerable, so quiet. Many were in wheelchairs or had limbs that had been crushed.”

The two crews completed 29 missions to and from Haiti and transported more than 120 relief personnel, 20 orphans and evacuated more than 200 injured from Port-au-Prince, and flew approximately 100 hours to support relief efforts.

Once the word was out about the earthquake, Coast Guardsmen were the first ‘boots on the ground,’ and paved the way for a joint task force of military and volunteer members. As soon as supplies became available, aircraft and vessels gave the highest priority to the shipment of water and medical supplies.

“Every flight involved hundreds of people helping load supplies and making sure we were within weight standards, carrying as much as and as many people as possible,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Burgess, an air station maintenance technician. “Every flight consisted of at least 20,000 pounds of relief supplies, gear, humanitarian assistance personnel, and evacuees.”

“We’re often known as the first responders in these tragic events,” said Paszkiewicz. “In this case, every crewmember fulfilled the ‘Always Ready’ motto by putting people and cargo on time and on target.”

“Because of the type of aircraft we fly, the missions we perform rarely allow us to be in physical contact with those we help,” said Paszkiewicz. “Seeing and hearing the appreciation in the people we helped made all the endless flight hours and no sleep more than worth it.”

TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 0107Z 14 MAR 2010

THIS BULLETIN IS FOR ALL AREAS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN.

… TSUNAMI INFORMATION BULLETIN …

THIS MESSAGE IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.

THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME – 0058Z 14 MAR 2010
COORDINATES – 1.8 SOUTH 128.2 EAST
LOCATION – HALMAHERA INDONESIA
MAGNITUDE – 6.5

EVALUATION

A DESTRUCTIVE WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI THREAT DOES NOT EXIST BASED ON HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA.

HOWEVER – THERE IS A VERY SMALL POSSIBILITY OF A LOCAL TSUNAMI THAT COULD AFFECT COASTS LOCATED USUALLY NO MORE THAN A HUNDRED KILOMETERS FROM THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES IN THE REGION NEAR THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY BULLETIN ISSUED BY THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.

THE JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY MAY ISSUE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THIS EVENT. IN THE CASE OF CONFLICTING INFORMATION…THE MORE CONSERVATIVE INFORMATION SHOULD BE USED FOR SAFETY.

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
6.4
Date-Time
Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 00:57:45 UTC
Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 09:57:45 AM at epicenter
Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 02:57:45 HAST
Location
1.710°S, 128.051°E
Depth
52.4 km (32.6 miles)
Region
KEPULAUAN OBI, INDONESIA
Distances
220 km (135 miles) N of Ambon, Moluccas, Indonesia
285 km (180 miles) SSE of Ternate, Moluccas, Indonesia
1230 km (760 miles) NNW of DARWIN, Northern Territory, Australia
2415 km (1500 miles) E of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia

Researchers have constructed a map showing the relative movement of locations after the Maule, Chile earthquake. (Photo courtesy of Ohio State University)

MEDIA RELEASE / Newswise

The massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck the west coast of Chile last month moved the entire city of Concepcion at least 10 feet to the west, and shifted other parts of South America as far apart as the Falkland Islands and Fortaleza, Brazil.

These preliminary measurements, produced from data gathered by researchers from four universities and several agencies, including geophysicists on the ground in Chile, paint a much clearer picture of the power behind this temblor, believed to be the fifth most powerful since instruments have been available to measure seismic shifts.

Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina and across the continent from the quake’s epicenter, moved about 1 inch to the west. And Chile’s capital, Santiago, moved about 11 inches to the west-southwest. The cities of Valparaiso and Mendoza, Argentina, northeast of Concepcion, also moved significantly.

The quake’s epicenter was in a region of South America that’s part of the so-called “ring of fire,” an area of major seismic stresses which encircles the Pacific Ocean. All along this line, the tectonic plates on which the continents move press against each other at fault zones.

The February Chilean quake occurred where the Nazca tectonic plate was squeezed under, or “subducted,” below the adjacent South American plate. Quakes routinely relieve pent-up geologic pressures in these convergence zones.

The research team deduced the cities’ movement by comparing precise GPS (global positioning satellite) locations known prior to the major quake to those almost 10 days later. The US Geological Survey reported that there have been dozens of aftershocks, many exceeding magnitude 6.0 or greater, since the initial event Feb. 27.

Mike Bevis, professor of earth sciences at Ohio State University, has led a project since 1993 that has been measuring crustal motion and deformation in the Central and Southern Andes.

The effort, called the Central and Southern Andes GPS Project, or CAP, hopes to perhaps triple its current network of 25 GPS stations spread across the region.

“By reoccupying the existing GPS stations, CAP can determine the displacements, or ‘jumps’, that occurred during the earthquake,” Bevis said. “By building new stations, the project can monitor the postseismic deformations that are expected to occur for many years, giving us new insights into the physics of the earthquake process.”

Ben Brooks, an associate researcher with the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaii and co-principal investigator on the project, said that the event, tragic as it was, offers a unique opportunity to better understand the seismic processes that control earthquakes.

“The Maule earthquake will arguably become one of the, if not the most important great earthquake yet studied. We now have modern, precise instruments to evaluate this event, and because the site abuts a continent, we will be able to obtain dense spatial sampling of the changes it caused,” Brooks said.

“As such the event represents an unprecedented opportunity for the earth science community if certain observations are made with quickly and comprehensively,” he said.

Working with Bevis and Brooks on the project are Bob Smalley, the University of Memphis, who is leading field operations in Argentina; Dana Caccamise at Ohio State, who is lead engineer, and Eric Kendrick, also from Ohio State, who is with Bevis now in Chile making measurements in the field.

Along with Ohio State University and the University of Hawaii, scientists from the University of Memphis and the California Institute of Technology are participating in the project. Additionally the Instituto Geografica Militar, the Universidad de Concepcion and the Centro de Estudios Cientificos, all in Chile, also were partners.

In Argentina, the Instituto Geografica Militar, the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Mendoza and the Unversidad Nacional de Buenos Aires are collaborating in the work. UNAVCO, a consortium of more than 50 institutions and agencies involved in research in the geosciences, is providing equipment for the project.

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
6.9
Date-Time
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 14:39:48 UTC
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 11:39:48 AM at epicenter
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 1:39:48 AM HST
Location
34.251°S, 71.889°W
Depth
35 km (21.7 miles) set by location program
Region
LIBERTADOR O’HIGGINS, CHILE
Distances
105 km (65 miles) W of Rancagua, Chile
135 km (80 miles) N of Talca, Chile
135 km (85 miles) S of Valparaiso, Chile
145 km (90 miles) SW of SANTIAGO, Chile

TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 1453Z 11 MAR 2010

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS…EXCEPT ALASKA…BRITISH COLUMBIA… WASHINGTON…OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

… TSUNAMI INFORMATION BULLETIN …

THIS BULLETIN IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.

THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME – 1440Z 11 MAR 2010
COORDINATES – 34.1 SOUTH 71.8 WEST
DEPTH – 10 KM
LOCATION – NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
MAGNITUDE – 7.2

EVALUATION

NO DESTRUCTIVE WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS BASED ON HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA.

HOWEVER – EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE SOMETIMES GENERATE LOCAL TSUNAMIS THAT CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS LOCATED WITHIN A HUNDRED KILOMETERS OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES IN THE REGION OF THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY BULLETIN ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.

THE WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL ISSUE PRODUCTS FOR ALASKA…BRITISH COLUMBIA…WASHINGTON…OREGON…CALIFORNIA.

UPDATED, 11:15 p.m. Monday, March 8

Residents along the Hamakua Coast and as far away as Kona felt the evening quake.

The 4.4M temblor was followed by at least two more in the area: a 1.9M at 6:38 p.m. and a 2.4M at 9:39 p.m.

No tsunami warnings or advisories were issued.

MEDIA RELEASE

A light earthquake occurred at 6:29:57 PM (HST) on Monday, March 8, 2010 .
The magnitude 4.4 event occurred 9 km (5 miles) SSW of Keanakolu.
The hypocentral depth is 31 km (19 miles).

For more information and to report that you felt this quake:

tux.wr.usgs.gov/Quakes/hv00036744.html

TSUNAMI SEISMIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NUMBER 1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
634 PM HST MON MAR 08 2010

TO – CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT – LOCAL TSUNAMI INFORMATION

THIS STATEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NO ACTION REQUIRED.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME – 0630 PM HST 08 MAR 2010
COORDINATES – 19.9 NORTH 155.4 WEST
LOCATION – IN THE HAMAKUA COAST REGION OF THE BIG ISLAND
MAGNITUDE – 5.0

EVALUATION

NO TSUNAMI IS EXPECTED. REPEAT. NO TSUNAMI IS EXPECTED. HOWEVER…SOME AREAS MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED SHAKING.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY STATEMENT ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL DATA ARE RECEIVED.

Destruction in Hilo after the May 22-23, 1960 tsunami. (Photo courtesy of USGS)

(Volcano Watch is a weekly article written by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.)

May 22, 2010, marks the 50th anniversary of the 1960 magnitude-9.5 Chilean earthquake, which was the largest earthquake worldwide in the last 200 years or more. But, for Hawaii residents, this great earthquake is rarely far from memory, due to the destructive tsunami it triggered, which killed 61 people in Hawaii and 122 in Japan.

An early reminder of this anniversary came in the form of a magnitude-8.8 earthquake that struck Chile in the early morning hours of Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 (local Chilean time). Located approximately 230 km north of the 1960 earthquake, this event produced a modest tsunami that crossed the Pacific Ocean.

Luckily, in Hawaii, we experienced wave heights of only a few feet. However, in Japan, waves were high enough to flood several coastal towns.

Both the 1960 and the 2010 earthquakes occurred at the boundary between the Nazca and the South American tectonic plates. The two plates are converging at a rate of 70 mm (3 inches) per year as the Nazca plate is subducted beneath the South American plate. The relatively fast convergence is the reason why this region has a long history of large earthquakes and can expect to have more in the future.

From Chile, it takes about 15 hours for tsunami waves to reach Hawaii and about 22 hours to reach Japan. Thus, local authorities have ample time to warn residents and prepare for the approaching waves. If used wisely, this lead time allows for orderly evacuations of low-lying areas, as demonstrated by the smooth response to the Feb. 27 tsunami warning.

There was also ample time for evacuation in Hawaii on May 22, 1960, as the tsunami traveled across the Pacific Ocean. At 6:47 p.m., Hawaiian standard time, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey issued an official warning that waves were expected to reach Hilo around midnight. At 8:30 p.m., coastal sirens in Hilo sounded and continued to sound intermittently for 20 minutes.

Many people heeded the warning and evacuated, but some did not, and when the first wave arrived just after midnight, hundreds of people were still at home on low ground in Hilo.

Because the first waves were only a few feet (1-2 m) high, many people returned to Hilo, thinking that the danger had passed. But the highest wave of the tsunami struck shortly after that, at 1:04 a.m. May 23.

Just before midnight May 22, 1960, Jerry Eaton, a seismologist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and four companions set up instruments in order to measure the tsunami wave heights from the Wailuku River Bridge on Hilo’s bay front.

Their measurements show that the tsunami was a series of waves that occurred over a span of more than two hours, with the highest wave of about 4.3 m (14 ft) arriving just after 1:00 a.m.

These wave heights sound modest compared to the 15-m (50 ft) waves that surfers tackle on the north shores of Hawaii. Tsunami waves, however, are much different, and more dangerous, in that each wave can raise sea level for tens of minutes and can push an incredible amount of debris-filled water on land.

Tsunami size is controlled by how much an earthquake displaces the sea floor. So, small differences in earthquake location (closer or farther from the coast) and earthquake depth can have big effects on whether or not a tsunami will be generated — and how big it will be.

Magnitude can also make a difference. The 1960 earthquake released more than 10 times more energy than the 2010 earthquake, which may have contributed to the size of the 1960 tsunami.

The Feb. 27, 2010, Chilean earthquake was well-recorded by scientists around the globe and will likely be studied for years to come. This should lead to a greater understanding of how these large earthquakes occur and under what conditions they produce widespread, destructive tsunamis.

A minor earthquake occurred at 11:39:18 PM (HST) on Friday, March 5, 2010 .
The magnitude 3.2 event occurred 13 km (8 miles) SE of Ka`ena Point.
The hypocentral depth is 50 km (31 miles).

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
3.2
Date-Time
Saturday, March 06, 2010 at 09:39:18 UTC
Friday, March 05, 2010 at 11:39:18 PM at epicenter
Location
19.212°N, 155.035°W
Depth
49.9 km (31.0 miles)
Region
ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
Distances
31 km (19 miles) SSE (161°) from Fern Forest, HI
32 km (20 miles) SSE (167°) from Eden Roc, HI
32 km (20 miles) SSW (203°) from Leilani Estates, HI
40 km (25 miles) SSW (200°) from Hawaiian Beaches, HI
55 km (34 miles) S (174°) from Hilo, HI
373 km (232 miles) SE (128°) from Honolulu, HI

Dean Moore is an American living in Chile who wrote these emails to his daughters on the mainland and on the Big Island.

Monday, March 1, 2010

We’ve been through hell.

In my 67 years, no experience like that before.

We jumped out of bed … got into the closet thinking the roof might collapse. Everything on the closet shelves came down on us … we were shook sideways VIOLENTLY … didn’t think we would live through that.

They say it shook continuously for 45 seconds but I’ll swear it was more like 2 minutes and we were screaming … we didn’t think it would stop.  We were being shoved against the closet shelf edges, etc. I should say slammed against.   I’ve never been that shook up before … ever. Now it is Monday afternoon and the aftershocks are still continuing … one about every 15 minutes or so that we can feel … it’s kind of like the chair under us is wobbling or something … sometimes the windows rattle.

We are sleeping outside in our tent … we are both scared to sleep inside yet.

Our house is basically OK but sustained some minor damage – I estimate less than $1,000 to repair it.

Ceramic wall tiles were broken on the interior walls in almost every room and crashed to the floor … also all glasses and dishes etc were thrown outside the cabinets to the kitchen floor and shattered … broken glass everywhere. Bottles of vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce … everything thrown out of closed cabinet doors and busted on the floor.

No power yet … we’re on solar power. And we use out generator in the evening before bed, then I get up and turn on the battery (solar backup) system about 3 a.m. … this keeps our deepfreezer and refrigerator running fine. The phone service, and Internet, just came back on minutes ago.

Thanks for being concerned about us. Cellphones and our fixed phone were all out until minutes ago.

Love, Dad and Clare

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Tuesday morning … we are still without power.

Running on solar and/or generator at times. We are still feeling aftershocks every little while.

We live near the city of Chillan … it’s NE of Concepcion … we are about the same distance from the epicenter of the earthquake as is Concepcion. Actually Chillan is closer – exactly 100 km from the epicenter of the big quake, Concepcion is 115 km.

It was very horrible here. We are still feeling aftershocks every little while … they are expected to continue for a month or longer. But we are OK. We have plenty of food – to last months if necessary. Because roads and highways  and bridges are out, there will be big problems with deliveries of food, fuels, etc. There may be martial law -there is already a nightly curfew in Concepcion.

We live at about Km. 18 right near the highway … the highway that runs between Chillan and Coihueco, at the little community called Talquipen.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

People in the states are not getting the whole story of this Chile earthquake. I have DirecTV here, so I have the advantage of being able to watch the local coverage, plus the coverage by CNN and FOX.

On the first and second day after the quake, CNN had almost continuous coverage of the two largest cities here (only), and FOX had very little coverage which is understandable because FOX isn’t really a news network anyway, but a commentary network.

There are five major national TV stations here in Chile, and four of these have had continuous coverage of the quake and the destruction every day and is continuing. What we are seeing on all four of these national Chilean stations is the real destruction…..there are many towns and small cities that are completely destroyed.

CNN of course cannot possibly have reporters and correspondents in all these places, so you are not seeing any of this coverage in the states. There is total destruction in many areas. They look like war zones or worse. The news reporting is continuing on these four stations without any commercial breaks. There are still many small towns and cities that are inaccessible by road because of the quake, and they are getting to them by helicopter as fast as possible.

From what I’m seeing, the Chilean government is even underestimating the amount of the destruction. Today is our fifth day since the quake, and we still don’t have electricity. The power company will not even take my name or account number, but instead they are giving a general message to all callers that all workers and repairmen are working 24 hours per day and they will get to everyone as soon as possible.

One thing is good….the aftershocks are now fewer and lighter, maybe we feel one every three or four hours instead of every 15 minutes. We are still sleeping in our tent outside in a clear area….Clare is still afraid to sleep in the house.

At 2:44 PM local time, or 17:44 UTC, we had another aftershock..a 5.9….that one scared us again….we ran outside but there was no damage here. They actually issued another tsunami warning but I understand now it was a false alarm!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

It’s now been six days since the big quake here in Chile, and we are still without electricity. I have called the local electric company multiple times but all they will say is they are working 24 hours per day and will get to us as soon as possible.

The aftershocks are continuing and now I understand they may continue for months. This morning at 6:03 AM we had another one that measured 5.1 and was very near the original epicenter. Last evening there was a 6.1 near Valparaiso, and we felt that one also. But these aftershocks are very mild compared with that big one last Saturday.

Yesterday, I drove into Chillan hoping to buy some grocery items. First I went to the big new Lider supermarket — this is the chain recently bought by Wal-Mart. But they had all gates closed and locked and were being guarded by armed military men. Then I went to the big Jumbo supermarket and they were open and the parking lot was almost totally full. I managed to buy a few packages of butter, a few liters of milk, and people were grabbing everything off the shelves throughout the store. The butter and milk were gone just minutes after I got mine. There was no sugar at all, no flour at all, no bread of any type, no bottled orange juice, so I didn’t manage to get many things on my list. All 39 checkout lines were operating and even with that I had to wait in line about 30 minutes just to check out.

About 80% of the service stations in Chillan were closed and barricaded. I managed to find one of the remaining few on the outskirts of town with only a short line and bought diesel fuel for our car, and as luck would have it, when my tank was almost full, the diesel stopped flowing….they ran out of diesel fuel. Fortunately my tank was almost filled completely.

Our power came back on about 45 minutes ago (about 6:00 PM local time!) That’s the longest (6 days) I’ve ever been without power in my life to the best of my knowledge.

Friday, March 5, 2010

We finally got electricity again late yesterday evening and since the aftershocks were reducing in strength and frequency, we decided it was safe to start sleeping in our home again instead of the tent.

But we were shocked this morning before daylight when the house started shaking again about 6:20 AM. That was a 6.3 and about the strongest we have felt since the big one last Saturday.

Then at 7:31 we felt another one, not quite as strong but closer to us. It was a 5.1. Then as I’m typing this…I just to run outside again….about 8:47 AM we felt another strong one….shook the house, windows rattled, and my wife was outside and we both felt the ground shaking quite strongly under our feet. We will be so happy when these aftershocks are over.

We’re hearing on TV this last one minutes ago at about 8:47 AM was 6.8 magnitude. This is scary. You could physically see our house shaking. So, unfortunately for us, it seems these aftershocks are really earthquakes themselves, and are continuing and maybe even increasing in intensity.

This latest 6.8 quake in red on the USGS map below is right over the area where we live. It will only take a slightly stronger one to knock out our electricity again. We hope that doesn’t happen. Also, a stronger one could also cause more serious damage to our home. We are concerned.

TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 1159Z 05 MAR 2010

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS…EXCEPT ALASKA…BRITISH COLUMBIA… WASHINGTON…OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

… TSUNAMI INFORMATION BULLETIN …

THIS BULLETIN IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.

THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME – 1147Z 05 MAR 2010
COORDINATES – 36.6 SOUTH 73.4 WEST
DEPTH – 29 KM
LOCATION – NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
MAGNITUDE – 6.6

EVALUATION

NO DESTRUCTIVE WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS BASED ON HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA.

HOWEVER – EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE SOMETIMES GENERATE LOCAL TSUNAMIS THAT CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS LOCATED WITHIN A HUNDRED KILOMETERS OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES IN THE REGION OF THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY BULLETIN ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.

THE WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL ISSUE PRODUCTS FOR ALASKA…BRITISH COLUMBIA…WASHINGTON…OREGON…CALIFORNIA.

Gov. Linda Lingle released this statement Tuesday, March 2:

When we received news Friday night of the devastating earthquake in Chile and the resulting tsunami waves that were approaching Hawaii, emergency response personnel across the state sprang into action. The outstanding coordination resulted in a well-executed operation to keep the residents and visitors of Hawaii safe.

State and County Civil Defense officials, scientists at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, lifeguards, police officers, firefighters and other first-responders were well prepared to carry out their duties, and they worked together calmly and efficiently.

Military leaders at Pacific Command on Oahu and officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security were standing by in case we needed their help. Hawaii tourism leaders worked closely with state and county officials to make sure our visitors were safe and well informed. The media ensured residents and visitors received accurate and timely information.

Our residents did their part by evacuating from danger zones and stocking up on emergency supplies – and they did so without panicking and without losing their aloha spirit.

Fortunately, the tsunami waves were much smaller than predicted and no damage was reported on any island. We were very fortunate.

Looking back at the events of this weekend, I come away with an even deeper appreciation of how extensively our state has prepared for emergencies, and how professionally everyone responded when the time for action arrived.

This gives me great confidence that our state will be ready for the next emergency, be it a tsunami, hurricane, earthquake or other natural or man-made disaster. At the same time, it is critical that we continue to prepare for emergencies and work to improve our response capabilities.

Mahalo to everyone who played a part in keeping Hawaii safe.

Image courtesy of NASA

By NASA Earth Observatory

The west coast of South America is a subduction zone, where the Nazca Plate is plowing under the South America Plate at an average rate of 80 millimeters (3 inches) per year. Their collision gives rise to the spectacular Andes Mountains as well as to devastating earthquakes, such as the 8.8-magnitude quake that struck offshore to the north-northeast of Concepción on February 27, 2010.

This map of topography and water depth reveals subduction’s influence on the landscape. Lighter colors indicate higher elevation on land and shallower depth in the water. Quake locations and magnitudes are indicated by black circles. The topography is based on radar data collected during the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, which flew onboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in mid-February 2002.

The boundary where the two plates converge is marked by a red line, but even without the line, its location would be revealed by the trench located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) offshore. The trench occurs where the Nazca Plate begins its descent beneath the South America Plate. The trench is most sharply defined on the eastern (continental) side: depth plunges rapidly from a few hundred meters (light blue) to several thousand meters (deep blue).

In places along their boundary, the two plates may slide easily past each other, but in other locations, they become locked together for a time. Eventually the pressure is too great for the rocks to withstand, and they break. The plates lurch past each other violently: an earthquake. When large quakes occur underwater, the seafloor may heave or sink. The ground movement is what triggers a tsunami.

The Chilean coast has a long history of very large earthquakes. In fact, the February 27 quake occurred about 230 kilometers (140 miles) north of the strongest earthquake ever measured: a magnitude 9.5 event that occurred in 1960. A magnitude 8.5 quake occurred about 870 kilometers (540 miles) farther north in 1922.