Tsunami alert issued in US West Coast, Japan; flooding in Hawaii after Tonga volcano erupts

After a large underwater volcano erupted in Tonga, which is a Polynesian kingdom of over 170 South Pacific islands, a serried of tsunami warnings have been issued across the shores, most prominently in the US West Coast, Alaska, Japan, and Hawaii.

The eruption of the volcano has triggered tsunami warnings and evacuation orders in Japan and caused large waves in several South Pacific islands, where footage on social media showed waves crashing into coastal homes.

The eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano took place on January 14 and 15, according to CNN reports, which sent out a plume of ash and gas steam, which were captured by the satellite cameras. The phone connections in Tonga capital, Nuku’alofa were down as ash rained down from the sky.

In view of the massive impact caused by the eruption of the underwater volcano in Tonga, the US National Weather Service issued tsunami advisories in the West Coast, including California, as well as in Alaska, predicting waves of up to two feet, strong rip currents, and coastal flooding.

A tsunami advisory was also in effect for the U.S. and Canadian Pacific coast, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said. In the San Francisco Bay Area of northern California, small parts of the cities of Berkeley and Albany near the bay were ordered to evacuate.

Further, flooding was also witnessed in Hawaii after the eruption of the volcano in Tonga. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that Hawaii is currently witnessing a tsunami, but no damage was reported apart from minor flooding throughout the islands.

Japan’s meteorological agency issued tsunami warnings in the early hours on Sunday and said waves as high as three metres (9.84 feet) were expected in the Amami islands in the south. Waves of more than a metre were recorded there earlier.

In a briefing, a Japan Meteorological Agency official urged people not to go near the sea until the tsunami advisory and more serious tsunami warnings had been lifted. The warnings – the first in more than five years – covered several specific areas.