It would have been devastative for the country yesterday once the predicted tsunami crashed on our shores, because people were not properly informed.
Many went about with their church programs after the warning came through unnoticed early yesterday morning.
A tsunami warning was in effect for Hawaii, North Marianas, American Samoa, Marshall and Solomon Islands.
It was later tuned up for all the Pacific Island countries to be on alert after a powerful earthquake of 8.8 struck Chile producing giant waves that killed and destroy as it moved.
Solomon Star was at the seafront and various locations in Honiara yesterday morning but observed that most people did not know anything.
"We've just returned from church, that's unbelievable, there's no earthquake," one person said as he relaxed at the Children's park at Rove.
Some of the inter-island vessels continued with their normal schedules to the provinces despite the warning.
The National Disaster Council has issued a nation-wide tsunami warning early yesterday morning following a Pacific-wide warning issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii.
The Tsunami Warning Centre said a less than 1 metre wave would hit Solomon Islands at 11 yesterday.
By 9am yesterday, BBC reported waves pounded the coast of New Zealand.
At 11am the NDC received the following reports from some of the Provinces:
Makira Province (Kira Kira) - No reports of unusual changes observed. Confirmations received from HF Radio stations in, Arosi 1, West Makira and KiraKira.
Wango and Tatahadi villages in Arosi 1 reported seeing about a 5 meters wave at around 0745 in the morning. However, no damages were reported.
Malaita Province (Auki) : No reports of unusual changes observed. Confirmations received via HF Radio from Auki and East Malaita. As for the Malaita Outer Islands, a cell call through National Medical by Ditolo Clinic to Ndai Clinic also shared the same observation. Cell calls to Luaniua and Pelau were unsuccessful.
Western Province, Ghatera, Munda and Falemae did not report any unusual changes. Confirmations received via HF Radio stations (Mondo Clinic) relaying for Ghatere, Munda and Falemae
Honiara - No reports of unusual changes observed.
Choiseul Province (Panggoe) - No reports of unusual changes observed. Confirmations received via HF Radio from Taro Island.
No reports were received from Temotu and Renbel Provinces.
The public warning was cancelled after midday yesterday.
Blaring tsunami warning sirens woke up most residents of many low lying Island countries throughout the Pacific early yesterday morning.
There were mass evacuations in many Island countries following the warning.
However there were no reported damages in the Island countries.
In the Cook Islands, police sirens and radio broadcasts, at 3am yesterday drove locals and tourists away from the coast to higher ground.
Police there scanned beaches and went door-to-door, warning people of an emergency.
More than half the island's population had been evacuated.
But there had been no noticeable surges and warnings were cancelled at 10am.
Disaster management officials in Fiji said they had been warned to expect waves of as high as 2.3m to hit the northern and eastern islands of the archipelago and the nearby Tonga islands.
In Tonga, there had been four small tsunami waves in Vava'u but no reported damage.
Hawaii had surges as high as two metres but there have been no reports of widespread damage.
But in French Polynesia, tsunami waves up to two meters high swept ashore, damaging parts of the coast.
The United States' Pacific Tsunami Warning Center cancelled its tsunami warning for most Pacific countries except for Japan and Russia yesterday.
"We dodged a bullet," said Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist for the warning centre.
He said there was a possibility that the tsunami would gain strength again as it headed to Japan.
A massive 8.8 earthquake struck Chile in the early morning hours on Saturday.
Over 100 times more powerful than the Haitian earthquake, it is already responsible for major damage, strong aftershocks felt throughout the entire South American continent, 214 deaths and still counting, the displacement of 1.5 million people, and tsunami warnings for the entire Pacific rim region which were later cancelled.
Tsunamis, also known as seismic sea waves, are a series of enormous waves created by an underwater disturbance such as an earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption, or meteorite.
A tsunami can move hundreds of miles per hour in the open ocean and smash into land with waves as high as 100 feet or more.
From the area where the tsunami originates, waves travel outward in all directions.
Once the wave approaches the shore, it builds in height. The topography of the coastline and the ocean floor will influence the size of the wave.
There may be more than one wave and the succeeding one may be larger than the one before.
That is why a small tsunami at one beach can be a giant wave a few miles away.
All tsunamis are potentially dangerous, even though they may not damage every coastline they strike.
By EDNAL PALMER
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