Vanuatu, 7.8 quake. Anybody have any experience with this Pacific Island nation?

Posted by Bearded_gnome October 7, 2009 at 7:11 p.m.

Vanuatu, 7.8 quake. Anybody have any experience with this Pacific Island nation?

The third pacific massive quake and Tsunami in two weeks has just hit:

http://www.ksbw.com/weather/21232878/detail.html?treets=mty&tml=mty_natlbreak&ts=T&tmi=mty_natlbreak_1_06200110072009

7.8 Quake Strikes Off Vanuatu A powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake has rocked the South Pacific near the Vanuatu archipelago, the U.S. Geological Survey reports, triggering a regional tsunami alert.

---Any readers have any experience with this island nation? There isn't anything very high there, so any Tsunami could cause massive death and distruction.

Was just wondering if there are any Lawrence connections.

Copy and paste the link:

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bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

Just Wiki Vanuatu and you'll find a good article.
October 7, 2009 at 7:13 p.m.
bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

I remember in the 80's I noticed that Vanuatu was so poor or else so short of people that they hired a noncitizen to represent them at the U.N., and to represent them with the U.S.

if marioni can be believed, that's good news about the Tsunami. however, the earthquake itself may have had very serious effects. 7.8 is very strong.
October 7, 2009 at 9:33 p.m.
bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

thanks Multi. yes that would be sad.
but sometimes it is true man proposes but God disposes.

***
apparently a Tsunami warning was issued, and one was observed but it was small so warning was canceled:
http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/...

article also states another serious earthquake hit Philippines, not so strong.

last I knew Howland and Baker islands were American possessions.
October 7, 2009 at 10:32 p.m.
vertigo (Jesse Crittenden) says…

Spent my honeymoon in Vanuatu right off the coast from the main city of Port Vila; there was a little island called Iririki with a fantastic resort on it. Loved every minute of it- no children were allowed on the island so the honeymooners weren't bothered.
Very friendly natives. Almost all the tourists were Australian. A bit pricey but well worth it. Port Vila has a nice market with all kinds of hand made souveniers, locally grown produce, etc. It was a great experience and I always said if I had the money to just "get away from it all" I'd find myself a remote island in that chain and live in a beach side bungalow.
October 7, 2009 at 11:15 p.m.
thebcman (anonymous) says…

I heard one of the Morris twins had a car wreck there five years ago.
October 7, 2009 at 11:22 p.m.
bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

Jesse,
yeah, I hear you man!
so, should we ask how long ago you and your bride were at Iririki?

***
I can't seem to get the Port Vila broadcaster to come up on my computer, but it says they're doing
updates to their website, so...

***
maybe instead of Greece, our new sister city should be in Vanuatu.
October 7, 2009 at 11:24 p.m.
vertigo (Jesse Crittenden) says…

BG-

I think it was around 8 nights/9 days... I remember we went to a small village on the big island and got to sit in on a local feast. Tons of food roasted in a earth pit; whole hog, chickens, tons of papaya/mangoes/taro/yams.

Did a lot of snorkeling around Iririki, that was cool becuase there was abandoned American WWII military equipment that had been dumped in the ocean and made a reef. A few jeeps and tanks, etc.
October 8, 2009 at 1:17 a.m.
vertigo (Jesse Crittenden) says…

LOL misread you question BG... it was back in September 2002
October 8, 2009 at 1:19 a.m.
bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

oh!
thought maybe you were gonna say: "it were back in '54, and you kids get off my lawn!"

but thanks for the extra story!
yes, I bet the 8/9 went by really fast! interesting diving by the old WWII stuff. how deep was it there?

***
http://www.fm107vanuatu.com/

I got the radio to work, says will run on windows media...not. needs winamp only!
they don't seem too upset, sounds like a normal radio broadcast day there so guess big quake out in ocean didn't mess up paradise too much.
October 8, 2009 at 1:43 a.m.
bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

kinda makes me worry that California will be next on the big quake hit list.
last night southern california had a 3.8. and when I was in california, we didn't even get off of the phone for a 3.8. you're more likely to get injured by sneezing.
October 8, 2009 at 8:59 p.m.
bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

Marioni,
I grew up in the most geologically active county of California.

among your encyclopedic smarts, do you also claim to be an earthquake specialist, too?

anyone reading my last post rationally would see that I meant far more immediate threat than the "big one" is due any year or ten, maybe overdue.
October 8, 2009 at 11:29 p.m.