Damaging earthquake with Tsunami risk off the coast of New Britain, Papua New Guinea

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Damage report in cooperation with the 2015 Earthquake Impact Database
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Update March 31 :
The article below comes from the Papua New Guinean newspaper "The National"

Update 09:16 UTC : The tsunami threat was inflicted by the type of earthquake, a mainly thrust mechanism who is responsible for an upwards movement of the water column on top of the epicenter ( "Understanding Beach Balls" article)

Update 03:30 UTC : TSUNAMI THREAT LARGELY OVER

Update 01:51 UTC : USGS has recalculates its data and now reports a Magnitude of 7.5 at a depth of 40 km

Update 01:40 UTC : Tsunami Message nr. 3 from the PTWC (almost no change)

Update 01:33 UTC : Robert Speta, meteorologist at NHK Tokyo did send the following tweet, which is in part hopeful but at the downside we do not like to see the word damage.

Staff at the Rabau Airport in New Britain are reporting a violent shake but limited damage to the town. #Quake pic.twitter.com/rGqv4y83Ni

— Robert Speta (@robertspeta) March 30, 2015

Update 01:25 UTC : Dr. James Daniell from CEDIM, Karlsruhe, Germany has put all data in his model and is getting a chance of 0 to 2 fatalities and 0 to 10 injuries.

Update 01:20 UTC : 3 buoys (the biggest yellow diamonds) are currently blinking which means that they have detected a change in level (tide omitted)

Update 01:15 UTC : New version of the GDACS Tsunami waves expectation list (the full list can be consulted here) :

Update 01:01 UTC : Professor Max Wyss, specialized in computing human impact has published his report and he expects 0 to 20 fatalities and 20 to 200 injured. We at Earthquake-report.com do expect, based on the current parameters, that there is only a small chance for injuries. PNG is however a nation who has not a good reputation in listing the exact number of injured as most of the country is not accessible by road.

Update 00:59 UTC : PNG is used to strong swaying and massive earthquakes. The biggest treat is however tsunamis but people living in coastal areas are also used to auto-evacuate immediately after they feel strong shaking. Tsunami waves can however inflict serious damage along the coasts.

Update 00:50 UTC : GDACS has issued a list of theoretical tsunami heights. The main treat area are the closest coasts of New Britain and New Ireland. The depth of the hypocenter is an important factor for the calculation of the wave height.

IMPORTANT UPDATE 00:37 UTC : PLEASE READ THIS MESSAGE CAREFULLY IF YOU LIVE ON THE COASTS OF THE FOLLOWING ISLANDS

Update 00:31 UTC : Damage is possible but as people are used to very strong earthquakes on PNG and as the epicenter if below the ocean we expect only limited damage. We are more concerned about the tsunami treat.

Update 00:17 UTC : Official Tsunami message from the PWTC : HAZARDOUS TSUNAMI WAVES FROM THIS EARTHQUAKE ARE POSSIBLE
WITHIN 1000 KM OF THE EPICENTER ALONG THE COASTS OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA AND SOLOMON ISLANDS

Update 00:14 UTC : Very strong shaking expected in a wide radius. Due to the hypocenter at intermediate depth the shaking will have been weakened but will be still very strong.

54km (34mi) SE of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
282km (175mi) ENE of Kimbe, Papua New Guinea
309km (192mi) SE of Kavieng, Papua New Guinea
367km (228mi) WNW of Arawa, Papua New Guinea
789km (490mi) NE of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Most important Earthquake Data:

Magnitude : 7.4

Local Time (conversion only below land) : 2015-03-30 09:48:28

GMT/UTC Time : 2015-03-29 23:48:28

Depth (Hypocenter) : 34 km

Depth and Magnitude updates in the list below.

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					Refresh this list
SRC	Location	UTC Date/time	M	D	INFO
PTWC		Mar 29 23:55	7.6	0	MAP
WCATWC	New Britain Region P.n.g.	Mar 29 23:49	7.6	33	MAP
EMSC	New Britain Region, P.n.g.	Mar 29 23:48	7.5	40	MAP
USGS	Taron, Papua New Guinea	Mar 29 23:48	7.6	33	MAP
USGS	Kokopo, Papua New Guinea	Mar 29 23:48	7.5	40	MAP
GEOFON	New Britain Region, P.n.g.	Mar 29 23:48	7.4	34	MAP I Felt It INFO
Lihir Island - no damage, lots of swaying

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Shaking Strength *
MMI II (Very weak shaking)	? People : Felt by persons at rest, on upper floors or favorably placed.
MMI III (Weak shaking)	? People : Felt indoors; hanging objects may swing, vibration similar to passing of light trucks, duration may be estimated, may not be recognized as an earthquake.
MMI IV (Light shaking)	? People : Generally noticed indoors but not outside. Light sleepers may be awakened. Vibration may be likened to the passing of heavy traffic, or to the jolt of a heavy object falling or striking the building. Fittings : Doors and windows rattle. Glassware and crockery rattle. Liquids in open vessels may be slightly disturbed. Standing motorcars may rock. Structures : Walls and frames of buildings, and partitions and suspended ceilings in commercial buildings, may be heard to creak.
MMI V (Moderate shaking)	? People : Generally felt outside, and by almost everyone indoors. Most sleepers awakened. A few people alarmed. Fittings : Small unstable objects are displaced or upset. Some glassware and crockery may be broken. Hanging pictures knock against the wall. Open doors may swing. Cupboard doors secured by magnetic catches may open. Pendulum clocks stop, start, or change rate. Structures : Some large display windows cracked. A few earthenware toilet fixtures cracked.
MMI VI (Strong shaking)	? People Felt by all. People and animals alarmed. Many run outside. Difficulty experienced in walking steadily. Fittings : Objects fall from shelves. Pictures fall from walls. Some furniture moved on smooth floors, some unsecured free-standing fireplaces moved. Glassware and crockery broken. Very unstable furniture overturned. Small church and school bells ring. Appliances move on bench or table tops. Filing cabinets or "easy glide" drawers may open (or shut). Structures : Slight damage to buildings with low standard. Some stucco or cement plaster falls. Large display windows broken. Damage to a few weak domestic chimneys, some may fall. Environment : Trees and bushes shake, or are heard to rustle. Loose material may be dislodged from sloping ground, e.g. existing slides, talus slopes, shingle slides.
MMI VII (Very strong shaking)	? People General alarm. Difficulty experienced in standing. Noticed by motorcar drivers who may stop. Fittings : Large bells ring. Furniture moves on smooth floors, may move on carpeted floors. Substantial damage to fragile contents of buildings. Structures : Unreinforced stone and brick walls cracked. Low standard buildings cracked with some minor masonry falls. A few instances of damage to buildings of ordinary workmanship. Unbraced parapets, unbraced brick gables, and architectural ornaments fall. Roofing tiles, especially ridge tiles may be dislodged. Many unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, often falling from roof-line. Water tanks Type I burst. A few instances of damage to brick veneers and plaster or cement-based linings. Unrestrained water cylinders (hot-water cylinders) may move and leak. Some common windows cracked. Suspended ceilings damaged. Environment : Water made turbid by stirred up mud. Small slides such as falls of sand and gravel banks, and small rock-falls from steep slopes and cuttings. Instances of settlement of unconsolidated or wet, or weak soils. Some fine cracks appear in sloping ground. A few instances of liquefaction (i.e. small water and sand ejections).
MMI VIII (Severe shaking)	? People Alarm may approach panic. Steering of motorcars greatly affected. Structures : Low standard buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. ordinary workmanship buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged in some cases. A few instances of damage to buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes. Monuments and pre-1976 elevated tanks and factory stacks twisted or brought down. Some pre-1965 infill masonry panels damaged. A few post-1980 brick veneers damaged. Decayed timber piles of houses damaged. Houses not secured to foundations may move. Most unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, some below roof-line, many brought down. Environment : Cracks appear on steep slopes and in wet ground. Small to moderate slides in roadside cuttings and unsupported excavations. Small water and sand ejections and localized lateral spreading adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
MMI IX (Violent shaking)	? Structures Many low standard buildings destroyed. Ordinary workmanship buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes damaged in some cases, some with flexible frames seriously damaged. Damage or permanent distortion to some buildings and bridges, designed and built to normal use standards. Houses not secured to foundations shifted off. Brick veneers fall and expose frames. Environment : Cracking of ground conspicuous. Landsliding general on steep slopes. Liquefaction effects intensified and more widespread, with large lateral spreading and flow sliding adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
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