TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After a quake struck Hualien area at 7:58 a.m. Wednesday (April 3), the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued a tsunami warning for Taiwan’s coastal and offshore areas.
When earthquakes occur in the ocean, they can displace a large volume of water, triggering a chain reaction that can include a trough of water that can cause low tide followed by large tsunami waves. Tsunamis pose a threat to residents of coastal areas, and a subsequent emergency warning was sent to the cell phones of citizens in such areas.
Despite the warning, many at the Nanfangao Fishing Harbor saw seawater flowing out of the harbor and into the sea, pulling along fishing boats that were not properly moored with the retreating tide, per UDN.
Fishers in the harbor as well as those aboard the boats said they had never experienced such a phenomenon before.
The Suao Fishermen’s Association said the earthquake caused a low tide in the harbor, with water flowing out to sea, leading to a two-meter difference (tidal range) between high tide and low tide. Following the earthquake, water first dipped into a trough, leading to an outflow of water before it came rushing back a few minutes later in the form of a tsunami.
The CWA said tsunami waves of varying sizes (27-84 cm) crashed into Taiwan’s coast on Wednesday morning (April 3). Given the possibility of aftershocks, those living in coastal areas are asked to be vigilant.
