Rob AriasResidents of coastal communities including Emeryville were awakened to a rare Tsunami warning on Saturday. An underwater volcanic eruption near the South Pacific Islands of Tonga triggered the alert by the U.S. National Weather Service.
1.14.2022: (correction on date) Large volcanic eruption near Tonga (Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano) today as seen from outer space. Shown on visible imagery using the Himawari satellite. #hiwx #tsunami #earthquake pic.twitter.com/Y18W7wvXl9
— NWSHonolulu (@NWSHonolulu) January 15, 2022
Berkeley issued an alert at 7:14 a.m. and The Emeryville PD followed up with a similar advisory at 7:56 a.m.
The City of Berkeley cautiously moved to evacuate their Marina live-boards while the Emeryville PD issued an alert advising residents to “take necessary safety precautions” but stopped short of any evacuation from the peninsula.
“The National Weather Service issued a Tsunami warning for the Emeryville coastline area to include the Emeryville Marina,” the Emeryville PD nixle alert read. “This warning is in effect until 9:00 am today. This weather warning indicates one foot to two feet waves are possible . Take necessary safety precautions.”
The waves generated by the Tsunami arrived early Saturday morning with the rising morning tide and continued pulsating onshore throughout the day.
Residents captured the local water surge caused by the seismic event that occurred over 5,000 miles away.
Per @hernberferd via Instagram: Temescal creek near Bay Street Emeryville flowing inward because of Tonga #Tsunami? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/S5ChudMt8Y
— The E’ville Eye News 👁 (@TheEvilleEye) January 15, 2022
Water receding through a small opening at the west end of the Emeryville Marina at 9:30am PST after the water surge due to the tsunami. #tsunami pic.twitter.com/cPXIaAE2SA
— Amy Heiden (@amyheiden) January 15, 2022
Water level changes in Emeryville, California over the course of 23 minutes.
(Taken at 09:23, 09:35 and 09:46 PST) #tsunami pic.twitter.com/kSDmslBcf7
— Amy Heiden (@amyheiden) January 15, 2022
Residents captured tidal shifts and surges but no damage was reported in Emeryville or Berkeley. Santa Cruz and Tiburon harbors sustained minor flooding and damage. The damage in Tonga is still being assessed but thought to be much more significant.
“I’m happy to report there was nothing to see!” noted a resident of the Emery Cove Marina.
Berkeley lifted their emergency order at about 5 p.m.
Many residents recalled a similar alert in 2011 caused by a massive earthquake in Tōhuko, Japan. A tsunami made its way 5,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean and made landfall on the Emeryville shoreline. Then Gracenote employee Mark Demma captured the slow, rolling wave on YouTube that has since garnered over 2 million views.
Feature Image: USGS.gov
