Tsunami Siren Blares After 8.1 Earthquake Strikes off the New Zealand Coast
Published Date: 3/5/2021
Source: Bloomberg Quicktake: Now
A powerful magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck Friday in the ocean off New Zealand, prompting thousands of people to evacuate and triggering tsunami warnings across the South Pacific. The quake was the largest in a series of tremors that hit the region over several hours, including two earlier quakes that registered magnitude 7.4 and magnitude 7.3. While the quakes triggered warning systems and caused traffic jams and some chaos in New Zealand as people scrambled to get to higher ground, they did not appear to pose a widespread threat to lives or major infrastructure. That's because of the remoteness of where they hit. The largest struck about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) off the coast of New Zealand. Russell resident Rita Baker was among those who sought higher ground after hearing the siren warning of a possible tsunami. Along with dozens of residents of the Bay of Islands seaside town, she climbed atop a hill and stayed there until an all clear has been given by authorities. She described the ordeal while filming the scene on her mobile phone, saying that in the ten years she had lived in Russell, this was the most serious tsunami alert she witnessed. She also filmed boats and ferries in the bay sailing toward the shore, seeking shelter. After the largest quake, civil defense authorities in New Zealand told people in certain areas on the East Coast of the North Island that they should move immediately to higher ground and not stay in their homes. They said a damaging tsunami was possible. One of the earlier quakes hit much closer to New Zealand and awoke many people during the night as they felt a long, rumbling shaking. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake