WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Tsunami warning sirens sounded on Friday and thousands of New Zealanders on the east coast of the North Island evacuated to higher ground after a third earthquake.
Workers, students and residents have fled areas like Northland and Bay of Plenty. Civil defense officials were on the ground to help people evacuate, as officials said the tsunami waves could reach 3 meters above tide level.
The last earthquake had a magnitude of 8.1 and hit the Kermadec Islands, northeast of New Zealand’s North Island. This happened shortly after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in the same region. Previously, a major 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck about 540 miles away in the east of the North Island. There were no reports of damage or casualties from the earthquakes.
The New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said the first waves would reach the northern coast of New Zealand around 9:45 am. She said that the threatened areas range from the Bay of Islands to Whangarei, from Matata to the Bay of Tolaga, including Whakatane and Opotiki, and the Great Barrier Island.
“We want everyone to take this threat seriously. Move to higher ground,” Whangarei Mayor Sheryl Mai told state broadcaster TVNZ.
Warnings have also been issued for other Pacific islands, such as Tonga, American Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, Hawaii and others.
Australia issued a marine tsunami threat to Norfolk Island, but said there was no threat to the continent. Chile said it could face a small tsunami.
The 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit New Zealand’s eastern North Island was felt by more than 60,000 people across the country, with many describing the quake as “severe”. Secondary tremors were still being recorded in the area.
“People near the coast in the following areas should immediately move to the nearest elevated terrain, outside all tsunami evacuation areas, or as far inland as possible. DO NOT STAY AT HOME,” NEMA said on Twitter .
“The earthquake may not have been felt in some of these areas, but evacuation must be immediate, as a damaging tsunami is possible,” he added.