Earthquake Hits Caribbean, Triggering Tsunami Advisory For USVI, BVI And PR

A 7.6 magnitude earthquake was recorded in the Caribbean north of Honduras at about 9:52 p.m. on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami advisory for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands. Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency Director Mona Barnes, just after 12:00 a.m. Wednesday told The Consortium that she spoke with the Tsunami Warning Center, which advised that the wave generated by the earthquake was under 1 foot, so impact to the U.S. Virgin Islands, if any, would be minimal.

The earthquake had a depth of about 6.2 miles when recorded. It struck about 27 miles east of Honduras’s Great Swan Island, according to the United States Geological Survey.

After initially advising residents in PR and the USVI living near the ocean to move inland and away from the shoreline, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Puerto Rico made known in a later tweet that the advisory for the USVI and PR had been discontinued.

UPDATE: The Tsunami Advisory for PR/USVI has been cancelled. ACTUALIZACIÓN: La Advertencia de Tsunami para Puerto Rico & Islas Vírgenes Americanas ha sido cancelada. #prwx #usviwx @readyusvi

— NWS San Juan (@NWSSanJuan) January 10, 2018

According to Reuters, the earthquake rattled windows in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa roughly 323 miles (519 km) to the east. And it was lightly felt in Belize’s capital, Belize City, but did not prompt immediate reports of damage.

The northern coast of Honduras closest to the quake’s epicenter is not heavily populated, with much of it covered by nature reserves. Some people in the capital of Tegucigalpa said they did not feel the tremor, according to news reports.

Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez said through a tweet that Honduras had activated its emergency system and asked people to remain calm.

In the Cayman Islands, Sgt. Dave McKay with Royal Cayman Islands Police told The Associated Press that hazard management officials had not issued a tsunami alert but authorities were monitoring the situation.