The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu also issued a tsunami warning for the Pacific coasts of the United States and Canada.
Tsunami waves were expected to hit the Oregon and southern Washington coasts soon, according to the National Weather Service. Earlier, high waves were reported in Alaska and Hawaii.
Small parts of the cities of Berkeley and Albany in northern California’s San Francisco Bay Area were ordered to evacuate.
On Saturday, an underwater volcano off the coast of Tonga erupted, prompting tsunami warnings and evacuation orders in Japan and large waves in several South Pacific islands, with footage on social media showing waves crashing into coastal homes.
Tsunami warnings were issued by Japan’s meteorological agency in the early hours of Sunday, with waves as high as three meters (9.84 feet) expected in the Amami Islands to the south. Previously, waves of more than a meter were recorded there.
NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, said no damage or casualties had been reported, interrupting its regular programming to report on the tsunami advisory issued by the country’s meteorological agency, which covered the entire eastern coast of the Japanese archipelago. A Japan Meteorological Agency official advised people not to go near the sea until the tsunami advisory and more serious tsunami warnings were lifted. The warnings, the first in more than five years, covered a variety of topics.
“We don’t know whether these (waves) are tsunamis yet.”
Tsunami waves were seen in Tonga’s capital and American Samoa’s capital after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano erupted at 0410 GMT, according to a tsunami monitor based in the United States.
According to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, the volcano, which is about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Nuku’alofa, caused a 1.2-meter (four-foot) tsunami wave.
The bureau stated that it was still monitoring the situation, but that no tsunami warning had been issued for the Australian mainland, islands, or territories.
Tsunami waves of 83 cm (2.7 feet) were recorded by gauges in Nuku’alofa, Tongan capital, and two-foot waves were seen in Pago Pago, American Samoa capital, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
Fiji issued a tsunami warning, advising residents to stay away from the coast “due to strong currents and dangerous waves.”
Jese Tuisinu, a Fiji One television reporter, posted a video on Twitter showing large waves crashing ashore and people fleeing in their cars.
“It’s literally pitch black in parts of Tonga, and people are fleeing to safety as a result of the eruption,” he said.
There were no reports of casualties at the time.
In New Zealand, the emergency management agency issued a tsunami warning for the country’s north and east coasts, predicting strong and unusual currents as well as unpredictable surges along those shorelines.
According to a Facebook post by Tonga Geological Services, the volcano ejected ash, steam, and gas up to 20 kilometers (12 miles) into the air on Friday. It has a radius of 260 kilometers (160 miles).
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