8.5 Quake Shakes Chile

[BarTopDancer]

USGS Link (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/at00725245.php)

(if someone could fix my title typo that would be fantastic).

[Kevy Baby]

(if someone could fix my title typo that would be fantastic).What? You spelled "quake" correctly...

[BarTopDancer]

And there was a 7.0 off Okinawa earlier.

[Not Afraid]

Upgraded to 8.8.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Very little detail other than power outage, and some indication that there was a tsunami somewhere.

[Not Afraid]

Any indication on where the tsunami was?

[Ghoulish Delight]

No, just that observation stations have noticed coastal water levels dropping which indicates that there was a tsunami somewhere.

[BarTopDancer]

I read/heard a 9ft wave was spotted but they didn't say where. I did some searching and only see that water levels dropped. Some say off chile but nothing huge. Oddly enough even a "normal looking wave" can be considered a tsunami if the conditions are correct.

[Ghoulish Delight]

BBC has some preliminary (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8540289.stm) reports that there is no immediate sign of major structural damage within cities.





Mark Winstanley, who contacted the BBC from Vina del Mar, 100km north-west of Santiago, said buildings had shaken and electricity and phone connections were cut but he could see no structural damage yet.


A university professor in Santiago, Cristian Bonacic, said that this was a massive quake but that the cities seemed to have resisted well. Internet communications were working but not mobile phones.

[Not Afraid]

A TSUNAMI ADVISORY CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII.
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
ORIGIN TIME – 0834 PM HST 26 FEB 2010
COORDINATES – 36.1 SOUTH 72.6 WEST
LOCATION – NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
MAGNITUDE – 8.5 MOMENT
EVALUATION
THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER HAS ISSUED AN EXPANDING
REGIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH FOR PARTS OF THE PACIFIC
LOCATED CLOSER TO THE EARTHQUAKE. AN EVALUATION OF THE PACIFIC
WIDE TSUNAMI THREAT IS UNDERWAY AND THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT
HAWAII COULD BE ELEVATED TO A WATCH OR WARNING STATUS.
IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THEIR ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL
TIME IS
1119 AM HST SAT 27 FEB 2010
MESSAGES WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.

Safety measures, I'm sure.

[BarTopDancer]

Tsunami info (http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/2010/02/27/725245/02/message725245-02.htm)

A tsunami has been observed at the following sites:

Location Lat. Lon. Time Amplitude
------------------------ ----- ------ ------- -----------

83min Talcahuano C 36.7S 73.1W 0716UTC 1.15M/3.8FT
45min Valparaiso C 33.0S 71.4W 0706UTC 1.29M/4.2FT
Juan Ferdandez C 33.617S 78.83W 0.19M/0.6FT

Time - Time of measurement.
Amp. - Tsunami amplitudes are measured relative to normal sea level. It is NOT crest-to-trough wave height. Values are given in both meters (M) and feet (FT).

[Ghoulish Delight]

First reports of deaths, 6 reported by the Chilean President. As well as reports of damage to historic building within Santiago.

Source (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1152621.html)

[Moonliner]

8.8?

Holy crud, on a scale of 1 to 10, that's like over an 8!!!!

Yo brad! No surfing today OK?

Oh and good morning! Did those 6:00am sirens (http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12055046) wake you up?

[Moonliner]

I read/heard a 9ft wave was spotted but they didn't say where. I did some searching and only see that water levels dropped. Some say off chile but nothing huge. Oddly enough even a "normal looking wave" can be considered a tsunami if the conditions are correct.

Like if it pushes two miles inland.......

[BarTopDancer]

I really hope you weren't implying I said a 9ft wave was normal.

[Gemini Cricket]

Hey y'all! I'm not in a tsunami zone. fyi. Wilhelmina Rise is way high up there. I don't have an internet connection right now due to non-tsunami related issue. (Router failure.). My gas tank is full, I have lots of water and stored food. All is well right now.

The sirens are going off here every hour on the hour. People are flooding the gas stations and supermarkets... Spam is flying off the shelves... lol!

[Gn2Dlnd]

The sirens are going off here every hour on the hour. People are flooding the gas stations and supermarkets... Spam is flying off the shelves... lol!

When pig flies?

Glad you're in a safe neighborhood, though the news coverage from KHON seems to be confused as to whether there's any danger or not. UNPLUG YOUR ELECTRICAL DEVICES!!! Or don't.

[Stan4dSteph]

I think the sirens going off every hour would stress me out more than the actual alert. Holy cow.

[Not Afraid]

La Jolla is supposed to get it by 2pm. We're in a "tsunami inundation zone" (whatever that means) but I'm going to assume the breakwater will break much of it - if there's anything to break. I find it fascinating that the tsunami watch area is over half the globe.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Everyone is focusing on the tsunami talk, there is very little reporting going on of damage done by the quake itself. I've seen reference to "dozens" killed, and there seem to be some roads buckled, bridges down, and building damaged. It does appear that the modern parts of Santiago weathered it well, with most of the structural damage done being in the historical center of the city.

I would imagine the smaller cities, especially those closer to the epicenter than santiago are in worse shape.

[Gemini Cricket]

The sirens are very nervewracking. But necessary. Not that everyone is heeding the warning...some idiots are surfing right now...

[Not Afraid]

I think Chile's saving grace is that they are very prepared and experienced with major earthquakes. I know that many of the building are reinforced to withstand a major quake. I'm sure there is still going to be some damage and deaths, but it won't be nearly as bad as Haiti.

[€uroMeinke]

Tsunami expected to reach LA Harbor around 12:15. It's low tide, so the swell will take the water level just slightly above sea level - wondering how visible the surge might be from the bluffs.

[Chernabog]

Glad you're on high ground Brad.... please keep us posted after the tsunami hits to let us know you're still doing well!!!

[Ghoulish Delight]

Some reporting from the ground (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35615455/ns/world_news-americas/)

It's pretty bad. At least 147 dead. Not the complete devastation that Haiti saw, but far from uscathed.

[SacTown Chronic]

Good to know you're higher up, Brad. The family was worried not knowing your situation. Be safe.

[BarTopDancer]

The sirens are very nervewracking. But necessary. Not that everyone is heeding the warning...some idiots are surfing right now...

Didn't some surfers survive the Sumatra tsunami because they were surfing? Still Darwin award candidates. Hopefully they'll get out of the water soon.

MSNBC is saying 9ft up to a mile inland. What is EWA beach? They keep showing a pin point with that location.

[Gn2Dlnd]

'Ewa Beach (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Ewa_Beach,_Hawaii)

[Not Afraid]

I took a name through the time we were supposed to get hit. What did I miss?

[BarTopDancer]

I took a name through the time we were supposed to get hit. What did I miss?

Choose your own adventure:

We're all underwater now.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
The HI tsunami is running late.

[Gn2Dlnd]

I took a name through the time we were supposed to get hit. What did I miss?

You may, in fact, be under water (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ejhIZZvDgw) as we speak.

[Gemini Cricket]

The siren just went off again moments ago. There are a couple of people surfing at Waikiki. Waiting waiting waiting...

[Gn2Dlnd]

Here's the live feed (http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=stream2&hpt=T1) from CNN. Click affiliate KHON on the bottom right of the screen.

[Not Afraid]

Nap. I took a nap!

[Not Afraid]

Tidal wave! i forgot they were previously called tidal waves!

[Not Afraid]

I have CNN streaming from HI and they just had the "Tsunami center" on the phone, only it was a crank caller who said, on air "Steve Langford's Mothers' a <unt". The newscaster appeared not to understand and went on with the questioning and they guy said it again.

[Gn2Dlnd]

Why isn't it called Tsunami Tsenter? And how is Steve Langford's mother involved? And who is Tsteve Langford, anyways?

[Gn2Dlnd]

Nap. I took a nap!

Ah, good. 'Cause I was wondering if you were going to have to kick an ass.

The wave action is definitely getting stronger in HI, and apparently some damage in Ventura?

[BarTopDancer]

Ah, good. 'Cause I was wondering if you were going to have to kick an ass.

The wave action is definitely getting stronger in HI, and apparently some damage in Ventura?

Mild impact on SoCal (http://www.knx1070.com/Tsunami-Has-Mild-Impact-in-SoCal/6458175)

[wolfy999]

Some OC beaches now under warning. Recorded phone calls going out, not for evacuation, but to stay away from the beaches and don't even go into the water....no kidding! In effect until 4PM.

[Moonliner]

Mild impact on SoCal (http://www.knx1070.com/Tsunami-Has-Mild-Impact-in-SoCal/6458175)

Reports are "Mild" from Hawaii as well.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Samoa seems to have taken the brunt of it.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Wow yeah. With the light of day, and the passing of Tsunami-watch, the true scope of the actual quake damage is starting to be reported...and it's definitely far worse than the early reports were indicating. Major infrastructure damage (roads, airports, sea ports), structural damage not just restricted to older structures, and well over 200 reported dead...so far.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Pictures of downed roads and buildings and whatnot.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/02/earthquake_in_chile.html

[Kevy Baby]

How bizarre: I just saw a commercial for Chilean Fresh Fruit available at Stater Brothers