NINE people are now confirmed to have been killed in the deadly 1.5 metre waves that roared into Solomon Islands villages yesterday. According to a bulletin issued by the U.S. Geological Survey, the tsunami was triggered by an 8.0 magnitude earthquake, with a depth of 17.8 miles (28.7 kilometers), was centered about 220 miles east of the Santa Cruz Islands, part of the Solomon Islands nation.
Areas Affected:
Coastal areas of Temotu, Makira-Ulawa and Malaita Provinces.
Status:
The following are the updates from the provinces:
1. Temotu Province
• Lata Airport reported wave damage to the terminal building and a number of large logs are blocking the runway.
• 3 casualties have been reported and all houses have been destroyed in Nela Village.
• 1 casualty has been reported in Luava Village and 16 houses have reportedly been destroyed.
• 1 child in Birmbe has been swept away by the sea and is still missing. An unconfirmed number of houses had been destroyed.
• Venga Village reports 1 casualty.
• Malo Village on Neo Island report 3 people missing and 1 confirmed deceased.
• Gracious Bay reports that a piggery farm has been washed away.
• Otabe Village reported that waves went through the village but there were no reports of casualties or damage at this time.
• Unusual wave and current activity around the province reported.
• No reports from more remote parts of the province are currently available due to the ‘all clear’ not yet being given.
2. Makira-Ulawa Province
• Kirakira, Santa Anna and Namunga reported high swells but everyone was able to move to higher grounds.
• Kirakira hospital was successfully evacuated.
• No damage reports are currently available.
• River levels were observed to rise at least 4 times in Kirakira indicating a series of waves were generated.
3. Malaita Province
• Unusual wave and current activity has been reported throughout the province but no damage has been reported at this time.
Provincial Assistance:
1. Temotu Province
• The Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) has been activated and the Provincial Disaster Officer (PDO) is providing regular updates to the NEOC.
2. Makira
• Reports are being relayed to the NEOC via the Assistant Provincial Planner and the PEOC has been activated.
3. Malaita Province
• Members of communities are reporting to the Malaita PDO at the NEOC directly.
National Assistance:
1. NEOC
• NEOC has been activated.
• The National Disaster Council members have been contacted and are on standby.
• NDMO is organizing an assessment team to fly to Temotu tomorrow (07/02/13).
• Medical personnel will be dispatched with the assessment team tomorrow.
International Assistance:
Decisions on requests for assistance will depend on feedback from the affected provinces.
Future Operations:
Recommendations:
• Immediate deployment of teams to support Temotu PEOC to set up coordination arrangements on site.
Solomon Airlines is sending a team on 07/02/13.
• Medical personnel are to be part of the deployed team.
• Possible flyover to be conducted over Santa Cruz by Solomon Airlines.
Evaluation:
It is too early to have a clear picture of the damage caused. The high number of aftershocks and the difficulties inherent in accessing Temotu makes gathering swift accurate information a challenge. The concern is for the more remote areas of Temotu where no reports have been forthcoming thus far.
NEOC Activation:
NEOC has been activated.
Source: National Disaster Management Office (NDMO)
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