Papua New Guinea earthquake hits 7.1 but no deaths are reported

(UPI) -- A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 40 miles west-southwest of Panguna, Papua New Guinea on Wednesday about 36.2 miles below the surface of the Earth.

As of 7 a.m. on Thursday, no deaths or damages had been reported. According to the United States Geological Survey, there have been 22 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.5 or higher in the region since 1900.

It’s possible that more information would be available about the quake, but the USGS was affected by the government shutdown. According to the USGS website:

Due to a lapse in Federal funding, the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program has suspended most of its operations. While the USGS will continue to monitor and report on earthquake activity, the accuracy or timeliness of some earthquake information products, as well as the availability or functionality of some web pages, could be affected by our reduced level of operation.

It appears that the agency may have resumed operations and it issued the following warning at some point very early on Thursday morning:

Expect aftershocks. These secondary shockwaves are usually less violent than the main quake but can be strong enough to do additional damage to weakened structures and can occur in the first hours, days, weeks, or even months after the quake.

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Look for and extinguish small fires. Fire is the most common hazard after an earthquake. Be aware of possible tsunamis if you live in coastal areas. These are also known as seismic sea waves (mistakenly called "tidal waves"). When local authorities issue a tsunami warning, assume that a series of dangerous waves is on the way. Stay away from the beach.