austraLasia 1549
Thank God for the Tsunami that didn't happen - but, cause for thought!
Nuku'alofa (Tonga): 4th May -- The strongest earthquake to strike the South Pacific Region in many years, measuring up to 8.1 on the Richter scale, struck about 150 kms off the main island of Tonga, Tongatapu, about three hours ago. Initial fears were that it could trigger a major Tsunami, the devastating effects of which would be felt in Samoa, Fiji and the North Island of New Zealand.
At the point of writing, alerts for such an event have been cancelled - geologists explain that (1) the warning buoys placed strategically in the Pacific following the world's worst Tsunami 2004 in the Indian ocean, have given no indication of major sea level change and (2) knowledge of the region where the quake took place tells scientists that ocean depth helps mitigate tsunami effects, by contrast with the situation of shallower waters near Sumatra where the Indian Ocean Tsunami began.
Inevitable questions will be raised however, by people wondering about the location and circumstances of Salesian works in the South Pacific in the event of a major Tsunami. The first question would be to ask how they would survive the initial earthquake. Tremors are frequent in this region - particularly between Tonga and Fiji, and both Fiji and Samoa experience regular tremors - some barely felt, but not too many weeks go by without one noticing glasses rattling in the cabinet or being woken at night by movement of furniture - bed, chairs etc. Buildings constructed by the Salesians in their 25 years in Samoa have been built with earthquakes and cyclones in mind. Fr Hans Dopheide designed and built them to tough standards! Those precautions have been tested by major quakes and cyclones over 25 years and have come through well. Fiji's Salesian community is housed in one older building (at least 70 years old) that has withstood any of these events so far - more recently constructed buildings have been built according to acceptable standards but are yet to be tested. They would be lucky to keep their roof in a really devastating blow!
A Tsunami would mean different things for different areas. Tonga would be in terrible trouble! Its main island is completely flat. There are no Salesian communities in Tonga, though there is one Tongan Salesian who resides in Fiji, with his family in Tonga, obviously. The location of the Don Bosco House community in Suva (Fiji) is entirely safe in terms of Tsunamis - it is far inland, but villagers on low lying coastal areas would be unprepared. The same could be said for Samoa. The largest parish in Samoa is in the hands of the Salesians, and would be in dire straits if a tsunami were to hit that part of the coast. Cyclones have destroyed earlier parish constructions and high wave activity has eaten away large amounts of land near the presbytery, in the past. It would stand little chance in the event of a Tsunami. The two other main locations are well inland or on high ground and would not be affected.
New Zealand has no Salesian communities. It is probably well-equipped, as a first world nation, to deal with most eventualities. But for the islands....the early warning systems are in place, but distances between islands are relatively short and had the 4.30 a.m. earthquake today (4th May in Tonga-Fiji and 3rd May in Samoa - the dateline runs between them) generated a tsunami, 6.30 a.m. in Fiji would have found coastal dwellers totally unprepared and awash! We can be grateful this time around.
If you wish to comment on this item, please feel free to do so at the BoscoWiki austraLasia page.
________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com Try out BoscoWiki to be interactive. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xml
Thank God for the Tsunami that didn't happen - but, cause for thought!
Nuku'alofa (Tonga): 4th May -- The strongest earthquake to strike the South Pacific Region in many years, measuring up to 8.1 on the Richter scale, struck about 150 kms off the main island of Tonga, Tongatapu, about three hours ago. Initial fears were that it could trigger a major Tsunami, the devastating effects of which would be felt in Samoa, Fiji and the North Island of New Zealand.
At the point of writing, alerts for such an event have been cancelled - geologists explain that (1) the warning buoys placed strategically in the Pacific following the world's worst Tsunami 2004 in the Indian ocean, have given no indication of major sea level change and (2) knowledge of the region where the quake took place tells scientists that ocean depth helps mitigate tsunami effects, by contrast with the situation of shallower waters near Sumatra where the Indian Ocean Tsunami began.
Inevitable questions will be raised however, by people wondering about the location and circumstances of Salesian works in the South Pacific in the event of a major Tsunami. The first question would be to ask how they would survive the initial earthquake. Tremors are frequent in this region - particularly between Tonga and Fiji, and both Fiji and Samoa experience regular tremors - some barely felt, but not too many weeks go by without one noticing glasses rattling in the cabinet or being woken at night by movement of furniture - bed, chairs etc. Buildings constructed by the Salesians in their 25 years in Samoa have been built with earthquakes and cyclones in mind. Fr Hans Dopheide designed and built them to tough standards! Those precautions have been tested by major quakes and cyclones over 25 years and have come through well. Fiji's Salesian community is housed in one older building (at least 70 years old) that has withstood any of these events so far - more recently constructed buildings have been built according to acceptable standards but are yet to be tested. They would be lucky to keep their roof in a really devastating blow!
A Tsunami would mean different things for different areas. Tonga would be in terrible trouble! Its main island is completely flat. There are no Salesian communities in Tonga, though there is one Tongan Salesian who resides in Fiji, with his family in Tonga, obviously. The location of the Don Bosco House community in Suva (Fiji) is entirely safe in terms of Tsunamis - it is far inland, but villagers on low lying coastal areas would be unprepared. The same could be said for Samoa. The largest parish in Samoa is in the hands of the Salesians, and would be in dire straits if a tsunami were to hit that part of the coast. Cyclones have destroyed earlier parish constructions and high wave activity has eaten away large amounts of land near the presbytery, in the past. It would stand little chance in the event of a Tsunami. The two other main locations are well inland or on high ground and would not be affected.
New Zealand has no Salesian communities. It is probably well-equipped, as a first world nation, to deal with most eventualities. But for the islands....the early warning systems are in place, but distances between islands are relatively short and had the 4.30 a.m. earthquake today (4th May in Tonga-Fiji and 3rd May in Samoa - the dateline runs between them) generated a tsunami, 6.30 a.m. in Fiji would have found coastal dwellers totally unprepared and awash! We can be grateful this time around.
If you wish to comment on this item, please feel free to do so at the BoscoWiki austraLasia page.
________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com Try out BoscoWiki to be interactive. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xml
