After a large underwater volcano erupted in Tonga, which is a Polynesian kingdom of over 170 South Pacific islands, a serried of tsunami warnings have been issued across the shores, most prominently in the US West Coast, Alaska, Japan, and Hawaii.
The eruption of the volcano has triggered tsunami warnings and evacuation orders in Japan and caused large waves in several South Pacific islands, where footage on social media showed waves crashing into coastal homes.
The eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano took place on January 14 and 15, according to CNN reports, which sent out a plume of ash and gas steam, which were captured by the satellite cameras. The phone connections in Tonga capital, Nuku’alofa were down as ash rained down from the sky.
In view of the massive impact caused by the eruption of the underwater volcano in Tonga, the US National Weather Service issued tsunami advisories in the West Coast, including California, as well as in Alaska, predicting waves of up to two feet, strong rip currents, and coastal flooding.
A tsunami advisory was also in effect for the U.S. and Canadian Pacific coast, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said. In the San Francisco Bay Area of northern California, small parts of the cities of Berkeley and Albany near the bay were ordered to evacuate.
