So while on break at work, just after the closing titles for the end of the world movie 'The Day After Tomorrow' we get a news flash, warning that the East Coast of Australia is preparing for a Tsunami. Yeah thats right at Tsunami. Those killer waves that destroy and kill everything in their path. I don't think there is any natural disaster that Australia is spared. There house and contents insurance but be astronomical, and i thought it was dangerous living in York, with the floods.
Rising sea waters have struck Tasmania and Norfolk Island as a tsunami makes its way towards the east coast of Australia.
NSW and Queensland are expected to see similar effects to sea conditions, which will accelerate tidal movements, the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre (JATWC) says.
The alert follows a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake which struck off the coast of Chile, toppling buildings, cutting power and pushing the death toll beyond 200.
The JATWC has issued a tsunami alert, declaring a ‘‘potential tsunami threat’’ for Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.
A 40cm rise in sea levels at Norfolk Island have been observed about 10.30am (AEST) on Sunday and a 10cm rise at Southport, in Tasmania.
‘‘Our warning will definitely be continuing for at least the remainder of the day (Sunday) and we wouldn’t be cancelling it for quite some time yet,’’ JATWC spokesman Alasdair Hainsworth told AAP.
Rising waters and associated dangerous currents may hit NSW, Queensland and Victoria from any time on Sunday.
‘‘It’s unlikely there will be big waves but very significant variations in sea levels in a relatively short space of time,’’ Mr Hainsworth said.
‘‘It’s almost like the tide comes in and goes out in less than half an hour.
‘‘So you can imagine the kind of currents and the potential danger to people in boats and also, more importantly, in the water.
‘‘They could easily find themselves in very strong currents, very, very quickly.’’
The effects on Tasmania and Norfolk Island could be the beginning of more activity for Australia’s east coast.
‘‘We can expect to see the effects move on to the NSW coast very shortly now, and then on to the Queensland coast,’’ Mr Hainsworth said.
Meanwhile, Japan’s meteorological agency has warned that tsunami waves of up to three metres could hit northern coastal areas within the next few hours, while countries elsewhere in the Pacific remained on tsunami alert.
‘‘A tsunami as high as three metres is expected on the Japanese coastline on the Pacific Ocean,’’ said Yasuo Sekita, an agency official in charge of monitoring earthquakes and tsunamis, told a news conference.
The tsunami, triggered by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile, was expected to be biggest on the north Japan coast, with waves of two metres or less expected along other coastal areas.
The tsunami was expected to hit northern areas about 1.30pm local time on Sunday (3.30pm AEDT).The agency urged residents in coastal areas to head quickly to higher ground.
A tsunami warning remained in place in several nations in the Pacific, including Australia and Russia.
Authorities have cancelled a tsunami warning in Hawaii after only small waves triggered by the Chile quake hit the Pacific island US state.In the Philippines, authorities urged residents of 19 provinces facing the Pacific Ocean to seek higher ground, warning that a tsunami was expected within hours.
Authorities, however, said the waves were not expected to be higher than one metre, and no forced evacuation was in place.
