Tsunami Turmoil
An eruption occurs at the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, off Tonga in the South Pacific, on January 14, 2022. TONGA GEOLOGICAL SERVICES/VIA REUTERS
January 25, 2022
On Saturday Jan. 15, 2022 the state of California issued a statewide tsunami advisory which warned residents of cities on the coast to stay out of the water.
The warning was placed after the eruption of an underwater volcano near the Pacific nation of Tonga. This tsunami warning was not only advised to the west coast states of Washington, Oregon, and California but in Hawaii and Alaska as well.
Long Beach, however, was said to not receive the tsunami effects as harshly as other cities; however, beaches were still closed. The tsunami did affect the bays and harbors of Santa Cruz causing a flood of three feet of water.
COURTESY OF MARIAN KUPU/BROADCOM BROADCASTING
A Millikan alumni, Lily Lune, who attends U.C. Santa Cruz says, ¨We’re on a giant hill so campus is probably the safest place for evacuees if we were ever in severe danger. It really only hit the harbor and seashore being flooded.”
Lune continues, “Students and people were actually going down to the beach to record it. Both the school and the city issued out a warning to stay away from the beach and harbor but no evacuation plan was put in place.”
“I was a bit fearful at first but honestly, seeing how little the waves are really calms everyone down.”
John Fast, Millikan’s surf coach says, “As far as what we saw, there was not much [a lot going on in the water]. Certain harbors felt the effect of a quick rise in tide, but at our break [in Bolsa Chica] there was little to notice. The team was able to surf without any negative effects.”
Though the tsunami was not very powerful nor caused major damage in Southern California, we must always stay prepared for the unexpected.
Campbell Davis • Feb 1, 2022 at 3:52 pm
In Issue 4/2022 (published January 25, 2022), Kezziah Hernandez wrote an article titled “Tsunami Turmoil”. The article talks about the tsunami warning that was put out all along the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and many islands in the pacific ocean including Hawaii. We get the perspective of a girl in Santa Cruz along with the Millikan surf coach. Prior to the article, I had heard about the tsunami warning the day that it was put out and saw many videos of floods that had happened on beaches on the coast. I have a few questions. How were Hawaii and other islands affected by this? How far away was the volcano? Were there any deaths in any places from the floods? Did they get bigger floods or even tsunami waves? I found this article very interesting because we got to hear from someone in Santa Cruz and hear about what was happening there as well. I do wish there was more information that goes more in-depth about the volcano and other places that might’ve been affected, but thank you for sharing this. It was a very informative article.
Aarian Rogers • Feb 1, 2022 at 10:30 am
February 1, 2022
Dear Corydon Editor,
In issue 4/2022 (published January 25th, 2022), Kenzziah Hernandez explains what happened during the Tsunami warning California received on Jan, 15th. Hernandez gives quotes from a student affected in Santa Cruz and the Millikan Surf Coach. She also points out the waves were not very dangerous and only caused a flood in some areas. I liked the addition of stating that if something more drastic were to happen, we all need to be cautious. I also liked the addition of the quote saying that U.C. Santa Cruz is on a hill and would be a good spot for evacuees. I wish Hernandez would have gone into more detail about the cause, size and speed of the waves, and what the requirements are for a tsunami warning. However, I loved the link to a page on information for what to do in a tsunami. I also loved the link to the Long Beach Post article for more information. I do wish Hernandez would have summarized or took out the most important information from those articles. This is because people are unlikely to click on a link or read another long article. Picking out and summarizing key points in addition to giving them a link to more information is more efficient for the average civilian. In a picture to the side of the article, it depicts the destruction that the tsunami had on Tonga. I would like to know more about what happened, such as deaths and injuries or areas destroyed, since they did receive the worst of the earthquake and tsunami. I like how Hernandez mentioned that people were going down to the beaches to film what was going on. However, she could have advised people as to why that is dangerous. Overall, the article was written in a very professional manner and gives accurate information to those worried or curious about the tsunami.
Sincerely,
Aarian Rogers, Grade 11
sherlyn • Jan 31, 2022 at 11:27 pm
n Issue 1/2022 (Published January 25, 2022), Kezziah Hernandez wrote an article entitled “Tsunami Turmoil” Kezziah talks about the tsunami that hit the West Coast on January 15th 2022. According to the article there was an eruption of an underwater volcano in the Pacific Ocean. Kezziah was able to interview a Millikan High School alumni that currently attends UC Santa Cruz, the area most affected by the tsunami. The quote Kezziah was able to get really helped the reader understand more of what it was like to be where the tsunami affected most. Here in Long Beach we weren’t really affected by it, but by seeing how Lily Lune reacted helps the reader understand that point of view of the tsunami. Kezziah Hernandez did a wonderful job writing this article. It’s short and gets straight to the point and she makes sure to include the most relevant information and quotes that help the piece. Such as the quote from John Fast, Millikan’s very own surf coach. Coach Fast says that the waves weren’t that big and that the surf team was able to surf peacefully. Overall, the article is very informative and very well written. It’s based on a very recent event that happened here in California. I genuinely enjoyed reading this piece and hope to read more of Kezziah’s work in the future!
alexandra • Jan 31, 2022 at 2:05 pm
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 4/2022 (published January 25, 2022), Kezziah Hernandez wrote an article titled “Tsunami Turmoil.” In the article, it mentions that after the eruption of an underwater volcano called Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, a tsunami advisory was placed not only in California, but in other west coast states, such as Washington and Oregon, and even Hawaii and Alaska. It also says that Long Beach wasn’t affected, but the coast of Santa Cruz was, with flooding of up to three inches of water. The volcano, located near the pacific nation of Tonga, proposed some serious risks for states nearby. I was at work at the time I got an alert on my phone, and I didn’t know how serious it was until a friend that was visiting the beach told me about it. Apparently, the beach was roped off, and some small areas along streets and sidewalks were flooded. But, there happened to be nothing more than that. Although the reality of it didn’t really set in at first, I am just really glad that no heavy damage was done. Since Long Beach is so close to the coast, and my job is right on the beach, I’m grateful that nothing happened.
Niya Patterson • Jan 31, 2022 at 10:30 am
Dear Corydon Editor,
In issue 4/2022 (Published January 25,2022) Kezziah Hernadez wrote an article titled “Tsunami Turmoil”. In this article it mentions the effects of a volcano explosion that occurred in the pacific nation of Tonga. Kezziah expresses the small fear everyone had in the beginning but everyone came to realize that it is not that serious, but she expresses we should always stay on guard. I want to know what she means by staying prepared? What should we do to stay prepared? Also, what would we do if the preparation we do still does not help us? How do us highschool students help a situation that is bigger than us? WHen hearing about tsunamis everyone states that we ( the coasts of California) will fall off into the ocean, no matter what, but if it’s preventable like she states it takes a relief off of my mind. I would have liked it if there was a little more information on Tonga and not so many answers of people explaining how it was nothing to worry about.
I’m glad the beaches weren’t wrecked and there was no danger to any of the coastal cities besides small floods. Not many people were giving updates on the tsunami so Thank you for giving light and insight on this topic that people seemed to push to the side.
SIncerely,
Niya Patterson, Grade 11
Niya Patterson • Jan 31, 2022 at 10:23 am
Dear Corydon Editor,
In issue 4/2022 (Published January 25,2022) Kezziah Hernadez wrote an article titled “Tsunami Turmoil”. In this article it mentions the effects of a volcano explosion that occurred in the pacific nation of Tonga. Kezziah expresses the small fear everyone had in the beginning but everyone came to realize that it is not that serious but she expresses we should always stay on guard. I want to know what she means by staying prepared? WHat should we do to stay prepared? Also what would we do if the preparation we do still does not help us? How do us highschool students help a situation that is bigger than us? WHen hearing about tsunamis everyone states that we ( the coasts of California) will fall off into the ocean no matter what, but if it’s preventable like she states it takes a relife off of my mind. I would have liked it if there was a little more information on Tonga and not so many answers of people explaining how it was nothing to worry about.
I’m glad the beaches weren’t wrecked and there was no danger to any of the coastal cities besides small floods. Not many people were giving updates on the tsunami so Thank you for giving light and insight on this topic that people seemed to push to the side.
SIncerely,
Niya Patterson, Grade 11
Gavin • Jan 28, 2022 at 11:10 am
We did get to keep surfing and I could see the tide rise, the water seemed higher up on the beach than normal.