The Kenya Meteorological department has confirmed that there is no risk of a Tsunami at the coast, watering down an earlier alert that had advised residents of the coastal region to move to higher ground.
Tremors were reported in Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Mombasa, Nyeri, Makueni and parts of Naivasha with seismologists pinpointing Taita Taveta as the epicenter of the magnitude 4.8 quake.
The primary effects of earthquakes are ground shaking, ground rupture, landslides, tsunamis, and liquefaction. Fires are probably the single most important secondary effect of earthquakes.
Tsunamis are a series of water waves caused when the seafloor moves vertically in an earthquake and which can travel vast distances in a short period of time.
Tsunami speeds in the deep ocean have been measured at more than 700 km/hr, comparable to some jet planes, and when tsunamis reach shallow water near the coast, they can reach heights of more than 27 meters (90 feet)!
Remember that tsunamis are a series of waves, and may start with a gentle withdrawal of water, followed by a very abrupt arriving wave, followed by another withdrawal, etc. The safest thing to do if you hear a tsunami is coming is to move to higher ground away from the beach as quickly as possible.
However, in a statement sent on Sunday evening, the weatherman refuted that the coast region could experience any a Tsunami. “Residents at the Coast are urged not to panic as the epicentre was not from the ocean, but from land hence cannot cause a Tsunami,” reads part of the statement.
“Note that , a light earthquake is measured at between 4 and 4.9 on the Richter scale. Like minor quakes, they occur often worldwide, can be felt but generally cause no damage,” added the department.
On the other hand, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has advised motorists to avoid the Mai Mahiu-Naivasha road after Sunday’s earth tremor caused a fault line on a bridge near Fai Amarillo factory.
Private vehicle operators have been advised to use the main Kamandura – Limuru – Kinungi – Naivasha Highway.
On the other hand, heavy commercial vehicle operators have been urged to excercise caution and restraint, and to follow traffic flow directions that are being provided by the Traffic Police Department.
In a statement issued after the earth tremor, KeNHA said its engineers are on site monitoring any resultant damages to the road surface.
“In the meantime, traffic police have been deployed to the site to direct traffic on a detour of the road section that has been created to facilitate traffic flow,” said KeNHA.