Japan Tsunami Warning downgraded to ‘Normal’ after US based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center cancelled its alert warning for the countries across Pacific Ocean.
Previously Japan issued a major Tsunami warning for its eastern seaboard that led a massive evacuation of more than half a million people from the area. The warning not only caused the evacuation, it also brought the country to a standstill in anticipation of a major Tsunami.
The Normal Tsunami warning will remain in place for some more hours before the issuance of all clear and thousands of people will remain in shelters for the night.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama has suggested the people for not to return to their homes too soon by quoting the proverb, ‘Careless is the workshop of the Devil’.
The tsunami alerts for Pacific and Japan were issued in the backdrop of Chile earthquake of 8.8 magnitudes that caused the waves spread across the ocean. By the evening much exposed islands like New Zealand and Hawaii were spared by the Tsunami waves and only a small damage to their coastal areas is reported.
The major Tsunami warning implies more than 3 meters high waves and it was the first for Japan in last 15 years. About 570000 people rushed to higher grounds and shelters from the coastal areas of Japan. Many of these people were placed in the shelters that were constructed after 1960 Chilean earthquake that caused a Tsunami in Japan claiming 100 lives. Other countries like Russia and Philippines also followed the Tsunami warning and evacuated hundreds of their people from tier respective coastal areas.
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