The Tsunami Watch issued for the Caribbean was cancelled at 10:50am by the authorizing body, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, for the magnitude 7.9 earthquake off the coast of Costa Rica. The warning was meant for the Pacific and was inadvertently sent to the Caribbean by mistake.
NEMA issued the following release:
September 5, 2012
BY: THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
NEMA Confirms No Tsunami Warnings for Bahamas
NASSAU, The Bahamas – No Tsunami warnings have been issued for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, in the wake of a major earthquake which struck Costa Rica on Wednesday morning, Director of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA Captain Stephen Russell has confirmed.
After consultation with The Bahamas Department of Meteorology, he said the conclusion was that there were no tsunami threats to the islands of The Bahamas.
The US Geological Survey reported a major earthquake hit the northwestern Costa Rica on Wednesday, giving it a magnitude of 7.9. It later revised it to 7.6.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre had initially issued warnings for the entire Caribbean area, and then later issued warnings for Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua.
Captain Russell has assured the public that there was no cause for concern.
The last time The Bahamas braced for a Tsunami was following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake, which struck Haiti on January 12, 2021. Warnings were in effect for Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic and The Bahamas, particularly Inagua where residents reported feeling tremors from the quake. The warning was subsequently lifted, once it was confirmed there were no threats.
_________
