Thailand Issued Tsunami Alert, but revoked

[george]

Thailand issues tsunami alert

Thailand's disaster warning centre Wednesday issued a tsunami alert for the resort of isle of Phuket and five nearby provinces, following a 7.5-magnitude quake off Indonesia's Sumatra island.

--The Nation 2008-02-20

[george]

The alert is revoked!

[LaoPo]

From Lloyd's:

http://www.lloyds.com/News_Centre/Dow_Jone...;utm_campaign=1

LaoPo

[BigSnake]

Good, alert but cancle not a problem, better safe than sorry. Power that be good work stay ALERT!! SAFTEY FIRST

[LaoPo]

Three killed by Indonesian quake

At least three people have been killed and 25 seriously injured by a 7.5-magnitude quake near Indonesia's western Aceh province, officials say.

The tremor, whose epicentre was near the island of Simeulue, 319km (198 miles) off the coast of Sumatra, also damaged many buildings, they added.

The epicentre was close to that of the earthquake which triggered the 2004 Asian tsunami, killing 200,000 people.

Tsunami warning centres initially issued alerts, but later lifted them.

Indonesia lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most seismically active regions of the world.

'Mass panic'

Local residents said Wednesday's earthquake, which hit Simeulue at 1508 (0808 GMT) according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), lasted for almost a minute.

It was felt strongly more than 300km (185 miles) away in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, where people left their offices after buildings started shaking.

"Everything shook very strongly for more than a minute and I ran along with the others. I heard people screaming in panic," Ahmad Yushadi told the Associated Press news agency.

An official from the Indonesian ministry of health, Rustam Pakaya, said the authorities on Simeulue had reported three deaths and 25 serious injuries caused by the earthquake.

"People have evacuated to the mountains," he said.

After the earthquake, the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre and Thailand's National Disaster Warning Centre briefly issued precautionary tsunami alerts for Indonesia and nearby coastal areas.

A nine-magnitude earthquake close to Simeulue on 26 December 2004 triggered the Asian tsunami which spread thousands of kilometres across the Indian Ocean.

Three months later, an 8.7-magnitude earthquake killed 1,000 people on Simeulue and the neighbouring island of Nias.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7254325.stm

LaoPo

[John K]

At least they pushed the button.

[george]

Villagers flee after tsunami alert

PHANG NGA: -- Hundreds of frightened people fled Phang Nga's Ban Nam Khem community yesterday after news filtered through of a powerful earthquake off Sumatra.

Without waiting for warnings from the authorities, they raced to higher ground or jumped aboard boats and headed for the relative safety of the ocean.

With the memory of the December 26, 2004 tsunami still fresh in their minds, panic swept through the community when the earthquake reports filtered through.

"We immediately ran to a safer place, bringing our children and grandchildren," Sompong Pumjan, 51, said. "No one heard the warning alarm go off, though."

A large number of tourists also sped away from the beach after TV and SMS news services reported that a 7.6-magnitude quake was registered off Sumatra.

On Boxing Day 2004, a powerful quake erupted near the Indonesian island and triggered deadly tidal forces.

The tsunami struck six southern provinces in Thailand, killing thousands of people, with Ban Nam Khem community being one of the worst hit.

In the face of yesterday's stampede, Phang Nga Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob sought to calm panicking people by urging them to stay alert and wait for instructions from the authorities.

"If evacuation is necessary, I will tell you," he said.

Shortly after the 7.6-magnitude quake was detected at 3.06pm, the National Disaster Warning Centre issued a tsunami alert for Phuket and five nearby provinces.

However, at about 4.40pm, the warning was lifted after information showed there was no tsunami heading to Thailand.

While no tidal wave came, many high-rise buildings in the country felt the tremors, including places in the South and as far away as the capital.

"The tremor was felt in Bangkok but this is not worrying," Mineral Resources Department director general Apichai Chvajarernpun said.

An office worker on Sathorn Road said she heard strange noises like wind banging hard on her window at around the time of the quake.

"No one paid attention. We continued with our work. There was no evacuation," she said. Her office was on the 34th floor of a high-rise building.

At the Phuket Municipality Office, an official said she felt the glass partition on the sixth floor shaking and some items dropping on the floor when the quake struck.

"Many of us were shocked. We left the building. After 15 minutes, we decided to go back to work," the official said.

-- The Nation 2008-02-21

[Scott]

It's good to see that folks were on the ball and the alert got issued.

[peter991]

Another tsunami alert issued by Indonesia a few minutes ago ...

Indonesia issues tsunami warning

Monday Feb 25 20:20 AEDT

Indonesia's meteorology agency issued a tsunami warning on Monday after a strong earthquake struck off Bengkulu province in western Sumatra, although there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The US Geological Survey said the quake, which was felt in neighbouring Singapore, had a magnitude of 7.3 and was at a depth of 35 kilometres.

Indonesia's meteorology agency put the quake at a shallower depth of 10 km.

"There are no reports of damages or casualties yet. When the quake happened, people stormed out of the police station.

We still need to check with the police station on Muko-Muko (nearest to the epicentre) whether there has been any damage," Hassanudin, a police officer in Bengkulu town, told Reuters.

"People panicked, but there was no big movement towards higher ground, although there was a tsunami warning." Indonesia suffers from frequent earthquakes as it lies in the so called "Pacific Ring of Fire", an area of intense seismic activity where a number of tectonic plates collide.

Last Wednesday, a strong quake hit off Aceh province in northern Sumatra, killed at least three people and damaged buildings on the nearby island of Simeulue.

[AlexLah]

Am I the only one that is thinking?

The Tsunami warning system should be long in place now.

They said they would install devices (floating on the sea) that meassure waves and if waves were bigger then normal an alert would be triggered.

Have those sensors ever been installed?

I think not, as I see the alerts came from stations that meassured seismic activity.