Indonesia tsunami warning after Sulawesi quake

Indonesia tsunami warning after Sulawesi quake

Sun Nov 16, 2008 12:36pm EST

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia issued a tsunami warning after a strong earthquake struck in the area of northern Sulawesi, the country's meteorological agency said via a telephone text message on Monday.

The quake had magnitude of 7.7 and struck in the Gorontalo area of Sulawesi island at a shallow depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the agency said.

Warning lifted??

"(CNN) -- A powerful earthquake early Monday in Indonesia led briefly to fears of a possible tsunami, but officials soon lifted a warning, and there were no reports of casualties or damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 7.5-magnitude quake was centered 85 miles (135 kilometers) northwest of Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia and 190 miles west of Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia. It was 1170 miles east-northeast of Jakarta and occurred at 1:02 a.m. local time Monday."

......An official with the National Disaster Coordinating Agency said residents of Buol, Central Sulawesi, were being evacuated after reports of sea water receding from the shoreline, which can be a sign that a tsunami is on the way. But the official emphasized that there were no reports that a tsunami was coming."

How in the heck do they know at 2:00 am in the morning?

Steve

Was the epicenter close to any of the major resorts? I wonder if they felt anything....

Hoping all is ok.Scott

Tsunami warnings lifted after quake rocks Indonesia

Yahoo! Buzz Digg Newsvine Reddit FacebookWhat's this?JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A powerful earthquake struck waters off eastern Indonesia early Monday, briefly generating tsunami warnings for coastlines within 600 miles of the epicenter.

Thousands of people in nearby coastal towns fled homes, hotels and hospitals in panic, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 7.5 and said it struck 54 miles from the nearest city, Gorantalo, located on Sulawesi island. It was centered 13 miles beneath the sea and was followed by two strong aftershocks.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the temblor had the potential to generate a destructive tsunami along coasts within 600 miles.

But even after local officials lifted the tsunami alert, frightened Sulawesi residents were refusing to return to their homes.

Gusnar, the deputy governor of Gorantalo province, told el-Shinta radio he had been in touch with district chiefs and there were "no reports of serious injuries or significant damage." Like many Indonesians, he goes by only one name.

Robert Bano, a Gorantalo resident, said the massive quake shook homes for more than two minutes and sent many people fleeing their homes, some, like him, with crying children.

Some guests streaming from Paradiso Hotel were so afraid they fainted, the official news agency Antara reported.

A witness in the city of Poso said patients from at least one hospital were evacuated.

Indonesia is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

In December 2004, a massive earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra island triggered a tsunami that battered much of the Indian Ocean coastline and killed more than 230,000 people — 131,000 of them in Indonesia's Aceh province alone.

A tsunami off Java island last year killed nearly 5,000.

from Lembeh most people didn't feel a thing, slept through it and no damage from the resorts I have heard from.

The Earth didnt move for me...

It would have been a fun slide through the jungle if my bungalow had collapsed though....

The Earth didnt move for me...

 

It would have been a fun slide through the jungle if my bungalow had collapsed though....

Im not surprised you and Mikey didn't feel a thing (apart from the love you share for each other) with those big strong Canadian arms wrapped round you in that single bed, i expect you were all cozy and safe...

Dive safe

DeanB

Dean you are warped..

And I am in Bali

Dean you are warped..

 

And I am in Bali

However, you are listed in Lembeh on your location...

holiday in Bali.. one week

and he doesn't want to go back... cos I found BlueEyes for him.

blue eyes?!?! the name is just wrong! hahaha