Tsunami Warning for Fiji --Earthquake off the Solomons

This just in from a Fijiguide.com correspondent who resides on Viti Levu:

The U.S. Embassy in Suva, Fiji, alerts U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to the following regions Vanuatu, Nauru, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis and Futuna that the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued the following tsunami warning.

THE SEISMOLOGY SECTION IN COLLABORATION WITH THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER (PTWC) ISSUED AT 0118Z 06 FEB 2013

AN UNDERSEA EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH PRELIMINERY PARAMETERS:

MAGNITUDE/SIZE: 8.0

DEPTH: 33km BELOW EARTH SURFACE

LOCATION: SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS, SOLOMON ISLANDS

TIME: 01:12pm

TSUNAMI WARNING ISSUED FOR FIJI GROUP by the Fiji Government.

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO ALL COASTAL LOW LYING AREAS OF FIJI

A POTENTIAL TSUNAMI HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BEING GENERATED AND A TSUNAMI WARNING IS NOW ISSUED FOR THE WHOLE REPUBLIC OF THE FIJI ISLANDS ESPECIALLY COASTAL LOW LYING DWELLERS.

TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN FORCE FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY OF FIJI AND WE ADVISE ALL RESIDENTS ON LOW LYING COASTAL AREAS TO PLEASE EVACUATE TO HIGHER SAFE ZONES AND GROUNDS NEARBY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE FOR SAFETY PURPOSES. THOSE ALREADY ON HIGHER GROUNDS ARE ADVISED TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS AND REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE FOR EASING THE EVACUATION PROCESS OF LOW LYING COASTAL DWELLERS.

You should protect your travel and identity documents against loss or damage, as the need to replace lost documentation could delay or otherwise complicate your return to the United States. Secure your travel documents, (i.e. U.S. passport, birth certificate, picture IDs, etc.) by placing them in a safe, waterproof location or carry the documents with you. You are urged to locate shelter, monitor media reports, and follow all official instructions.

Tell family and friends in the United States of your whereabouts, and keep in close contact with your tour operator, hotel staff, and local officials for information about the flooding, including possible evacuation and shelter information.

U.S. citizens in Fiji are encouraged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). Those enrolled in STEP receive Messages and Emergency Messages for U.S. citizens. These messages are placed on our website at the same time that they are sent via email to STEP enrollees. U.S. citizens without internet access may enroll in person at the U.S. Embassy. By enrolling, U.S. citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency.

U.S. Embassy Suva
158 Princes Road, Tamavua, Suva, Fiji
Telephone: (679) 331-4466
Emergency after-hours telephone: (679) 772-8049
Facsimile: (679) 330-2267 American Citizens Services Unit e-mail: consularsuva@state.gov

Updated information on travel and security in Fiji may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). For further information, please consult theEmbassy website, the Country Specific Information for Tonga, as well as theWorldwide Caution. You can also stay up to date by bookmarking our Bureau of Consular Affairs website, which also contains currentTravel Warnings and Travel Alerts. Follow us on Twitter and the Bureau of Consular Affairs page on Facebook, and download our freeSmart Traveler iPhone App to have travel information at your fingertips.

Tags: tsunami

Comment by Angela Hansen on February 5, 2013 at 9:56pm: Hi Rob, Any idea as to when it will hit fiji? A bit anxious as I hopefully will ge going end of May.

Comment by Robert F. Kay on February 5, 2013 at 10:57pm: If it happens it will be within hours. You'll be fine...unless you're close to the Solomon Islands.

Tsunami Warning for Fiji --Earthquake off the Solomons

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