Key takeaways:
- Alerts are published for some South Pacific island countries; individuals head to higher ground.
- The eruption of an underwater volcano off Tonga began tsunami alerts for some South Pacific island countries and advisories for British Columbia and the west coast of the United States.
The alerts issued for BC and United States due to volcanic eruptions:
An undersea volcano erupted in a spectacular fashion close to the Pacific nation of Tonga on Saturday, sending tsunami waves hitting across the shore and individuals running to higher ground.
There were no quick reports of damages or the extent of the damage as communications with the remote nation stayed problematic. Video posted to social media led to large waves washing ashore in coastal areas of Tonga, stirring near homes and buildings. New Zealand’s military stated it was monitoring the circumstances and stayed on standby, prepared to help if requested.
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In Canada, a tsunami advisory was published for regions of the B.C. coast — especially the north coast and Haida Gwaii, the central coast and northeast Vancouver Island, the outer west coast of Vancouver Island and the Juan de Fuca Strait coast.
Officials in Saanich, on Vancouver Island, stated there is no requirement to evacuate — that the possible threat is restricted to risen tidal currents — but they advised individuals to evade beaches and marinas.
