Tsunami

LIST: Japan quake seventh largest in history

The monster 8.9-magnitude earthquake which hit Japan on Friday was the country's biggest ever and the seventh largest on record, according to US Geological Survey data.

8.9 Quake triggers killer waves across Pacific

Staff reporters A DEVASTATING wall of water swept across Japan's east coast north of Tokyo yesterday, destroying towns and suburbs that only minutes before had been shaken by one of the heaviest earthquakes recorded.

Big one followed days of earthquakes

Saffron Howden THE Japanese earthquake was the fifth-largest to hit the world since 1900.

Nowhere safe to run when deadly torrent hit

Even those who had received some warning of the impending flood were taken by surprise by its force, writes Tom Reilly.

The big one is closer but it's not here yet: scientists

Tom Allard JAKARTA: The earthquake that generated the tsunami off Indonesia's Mentawai Islands on Monday was not the much-feared ''big one'' and ''might indeed bring it closer'', seismologists say.

As Pakistan braces for more deadly flooding, Australia's Bob the rebuilder is there to help

MATT WADE IN PAKISTAN BOB HANDBY has been a witness to disaster for a quarter of a century, but he has never seen anything like the Pakistan floods.

Early marks all round as workers run for the hills

Ilya Gridneff PORT MORESBY: When Mother Nature roared, the workforce of Papua New Guinea's capital hit the door.

Rolling quake 'like being on a boat'

Arjun Ramachandran PACIFIC nations rattled by yesterdays earthquakes breathed a sigh of relief as it became clear there was little damage from the quakes that centred on Vanuatu.

Preternatural calm imbues a city on the move

Michael Field APIA: Samoa was back on tsunami watch yesterday, just over a week after giant waves killed more than 140 people.

After chaos and death, it is time to count the cost

The tragedy and heroism of 2011 will be remembered for decades, writes David Humphries, but what comes after the flood will define a state and a nation.

Big one yet to come, say scientists

Tom Allard HERALD CORRESPONDENT JAKARTA: Scientists who examined last week's devastating earthquake in West Sumatra have come to an alarming conclusion: it was not ''the big one'' they have long been forecasting for Padang.

Family lay to rest young 'flower of the ocean'

MALCOLM BROWN IN LALOMANU MOANALEI LONG, 9, a beach sprite from the beachfront at Lalomanu in Western Samoa, had enchanted locals and tourists alike for most of her life with her mischief and charm.

Navy sends help to Indonesia

MANUEL MITTERNACHT and STEPHANIE PEATLING AS AID teams struggled to cope with the devastation caused by two earthquakes in Indonesia, HMAS Kanimbla left Sydney yesterday, carrying 220 personnel and a mobile health unit including a 40-bed...

Survivors glad to be home but say keep sending aid

Cosima Marriner AUSTRALIAN survivors of the tsunami that devastated Samoa have urged people to continue sending aid to the tiny South Pacific nation.

Help arrives for thousands of victims

Eli Greenblat, Daniella Miletic, Adam Carey and Lindsay Murdoch A massive airlift of food and other essential supplies is under way across Queensland after panic buying emptied supermarket shelves in major towns and cities cut off by floods.

Aid agencies stretched as teams battle disasters on two fronts

Dewi Cooke and Daniella Miletic AUSTRALIAN aid workers are establishing emergency shelters and clean water supplies in Indonesia and Samoa.

On a windy night, dark thoughts arise from the sound and fury of the sea

Lissa Christopher IF THE morning had proceeded as usual when the first tsunami hit south-eastern Samoa on Tuesday, the children of Saleapaga would have been on their way to school, dressed neatly in blue and white...

The day the ground jumped up and down

Tom Allard reports from Padang on death, destruction and lucky escapes.

Thousands missing in quake zone

Tom Allard, Jonathan Pearlman, and Malcolm Brown PADANG: Rescue teams are clawing through rubble in a desperate search for thousands of people missing - including as many as 60 Australians - after two devastating earthquakes in Sumatra left at...