Tsunamis

One of the biggest Tsunamis to have hit Fiji was in 1953 due to the 6.7 earthquake in Suva. The earthquake had caused a slip in the seabed of the harbor area which brought about the tsunami in the Suva Peninsula. It dealt major damage to the wharf and caused 3 deaths in Suva, 12 were also reported as drowned in the Fiji Islands Koro and Kadavu. The main source of the tsunami was the result of a "60 million cubic meter submarine landslide at the head of the Suva Canyon".

Usually earthquakes near Fiji are the cause of tsunamis, but they can also be caused by "a sudden motion of the ocean floor." This could be due to an underwater landslide or even a powerful volcanic eruption. Tsunamis are a big concern as most population is concentrated in low coastal areas. 

One way to further help lower injuries and damages would be to setup a real-time monitoring system of seismic activity and tsunami education and research program to study causes and frequent locations. These could provide a significant help towards their tsunami risk monitoring.



Natural Disasters in Fiji (go-fiji.com)

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