Tag Archives: Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands scrambles to reach areas hit by second major quake

map of Solomon Islands

SYDNEY (Reuters) – The Solomon Islands plans to dispatch emergency supplies to areas affected by a 6.9 magnitude aftershock on Saturday, a day after a much larger tremor triggered a tsunami warning that send hundreds of coastal people fleeing into the hills.

General Secretary of the Solomon Islands Red Cross Joanne Zoleveke said the supply boat could take almost 24 hours to reach Makira Island, which lies close to the epicentre of Friday’s deeper 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

Both quakes triggered tsunami warnings which were lifted a short time later.

“We are working with the National Disaster Office of the Government and we’ve mobilised our emergency response teams to accompany the government officers and other international non-governmental organisations that are going on this boat,” Zoleveke said.

Makira Island’s airstrip services small planes incapable of shuttling the volume of aid required for the relief effort.

“We still don’t have that much detail but we know people are really affected by what’s happened,” Zoleveke said.

Zoloveke said based on reports received by two-way radio, Friday’s quake caused significant damage and forced people from homes in the town of Kirakira on Makira Island, about 200 km from the Pacific Island nation’s capital of Honiara.

She said she knew of only one reported casualty, a 25-year-old with non-specific injuries. The remoteness of the region and the failure of communications meant it was impossible to know the full extent of any injuries or damage, she said.

Australia has provided A$50,000 ($37,235) worth of supplies and a helicopter to undertake an initial assessment of affected areas to help target relief efforts, Zoloveke said.

Suzy Sainovski of World Vision in Honiara said staff from the humanitarian organisation in Kirakira saw people fleeing to higher ground.

“One of the reasons we need to get them shelter assistance (is) because it’s the start of the wet season here,” Sainovski said.

($1 = 1.3428 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Jane Wardell and Peter Gosnell; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Christopher Cushing)

Earthquakes Rock Oklahoma, Kansas, Oregon

A series of earthquakes were felt in the United States Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.  

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake was reported Wednesday afternoon 43 miles from Lakeview, Oregon, according to the Geological Survey.  The tremor occurred at 5:50pm Pacific Time.  In the last 10 days, there has been one other earthquake of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.

This morning residents in Oklahoma were awakened by a 4.7 magnitude quake that is reported to be the largest in that state since 2011.  The earthquake was felt from Norman, Oklahoma, to central Kansas, and from the Texas Panhandle to Missouri, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The epicenter was 8 miles southwest of Cherokee, Oklahoma with a depth of 3.8 miles.  

“It was a quick jolt with windows rattling with [the first waves], then 5-10 seconds later, [the second waves] rattled windows and shook appliances and computer monitors,” said AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions Meteorologist William Clark, who felt the earthquake in Wichita, Kansas.

Local radar picked up thousands of birds that took off as the quake hit.  

Three other earthquakes were reported overnight in the area Thursday: a 3.1-magnitude at 3:46 a.m., a 3.7-magnitude earthquake at 6:03 a.m. and a 3.4 magnitude earthquake at 7:25 a.m. The 3.1 and 3.7 magnitude tremors were centered 9 miles west of Cherokee near the Kansas border. The 3.4 was centered near Crescent.

It is unclear if there was any damage or injuries at this time.

A strong undersea earthquake also struck off the coast near the Solomon Islands, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. These islands are located east of Papua New Guinea.  

The bureau initially reported that an earthquake of 7.1 had occurred at 5.31am ADET, which would be classified as a major earthquake, but the intensity was later reported as 6.8, which is considered strong.

The quake struck 119 kilometres south west of Dadali, in the Solomon Islands, and 176 kilometres north west of the capital, Honiara.  There are no reports of injuries and no tsunami watches or warnings issued.  

Massive Aftershocks Continue To Hit Solomon Islands

Rescue efforts in the Solomon Islands have been hampered by ongoing aftershocks of significant intensity. Late Friday local time, a 7.1 magnitude aftershock caused residents to fear a second tsunami was possible. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake did not cause a tsunami.

The death toll from Wednesday’s 8.0 quake and resulting tsunami has risen to 13 confirmed dead. Continue reading →

Whole Lotta Shakin’ On The Ring of Fire

The Pacific “Ring of Fire” is doing its impression of Jerry Lee Lewis with a “whole lotta shakin’ going on” over the last day. Four earthquakes of a magnitude of 6 or greater shook three points on the “ring.”

The first struck in Chile with a magnitude 6.8 quake. The quake centered about 24 miles north of Vallenar and was felt as far away as the capital city of Santiago. One woman died of a heart attack that local officials attributed to stress brought on by the strong quake. Continue reading →