SYDNEY – A tsunami alert for parts of New Zealand was lifted on Friday afternoon, hours after officials urged coastal residents to evacuate following an 8.1 magnitude earthquake in the South Pacific.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was recorded early Friday morning near the Kermadec Islands between Tonga and New Zealand’s North Island.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has called on the public in the region to be vigilant and keep a close eye on the situation, saying ‘tsunami waves have been observed.’
The National Emergency Management Agency in New Zealand told residents who had previously evacuated at 13:15 local time that it was safe to return to their homes. It is said that the “greatest waves are now over.”
The agency advised the public to avoid beaches and riparian areas, warning that strong and unusual currents and unpredictable waves pose a danger.
After evacuation orders and warnings to pull away from the coast, thousands of New Zealanders fled to higher ground, hiking, riding and cycling.
Several towns near the country’s north coast emptied within hours of tsunami warnings via sirens or text messages from the government.
“It was a dynamic event that was constantly evolving,” Emergency Management Minister Kiri Allan told a news conference on Friday. “People have done the right things in the region by picking up, packing and generally staying calm.”
Several people near the coast reported seeing disturbing signs of water receding and cord.
In an interview with Radio New Zealand, Daniel Thompson, a motel owner in Doubtless Bay, on the east coast of the North Island, described unusual changes in the tide that seemingly disrupt local wildlife.
“The seagulls became completely silent – they just sat and did nothing,” he said. Thompson said. “The bird activity was very strange.”
People in Whangarei, in the Northland region, describe an unusual color of the water in the harbor and the falling water level, reports TVNZ.
Traditional Maori meetinghouses, known as marae, helped shelter and feed evacuated people, especially in the eastern Bay of Plenty around Whakatane.
“Some people traveled to the marae early this morning or were on the marae, so they feed them and only offer comfort,” says Shane Te Pou, originally from Kawerau. “Like a church, the doors of a mare are never locked.”
New Zealand officials said earlier Friday that the tsunami threat would linger for several hours as geologists collected data on the impact of the quakes. Waves near the epicenter move fast and then slow down and get bigger as they land closer. In New Zealand, officials said the expected surge could reach up to three meters, or almost 10 feet.
“We ask those who have moved to higher ground or the interior to stay where you are until the official gives everything clear,” Ms. Allan, the emergency management minister, said earlier Friday. “We know that people may be sitting at home a little tired or bored or whatever it may be, but we ask that people not leave these areas until we get everything clear.”
A tsunami watch issued for the state of Hawaii has been canceled, and forecasters said the islands are no longer threatened. The clock was a little longer than an hour of power.
“It’s a great reminder to be vigilant and prepared,” said Hawaii Gov. David Ige. Twitter.
Less than two hours before the 8.1 magnitude earthquake, seismologists recorded a 7.4 magnitude earthquake about 31 km west, the US Geological Survey said. The agency said the first earthquake was likely a shock.
Seismologists reported six hours earlier that a magnitude 7.3 earthquake was about 560 miles south.
Damien Cave reports from Sydney, Neil Vigdor reports from Greenwich, Conn., And Natasha Frost reports from Auckland.