Hawaii Tsunami Warning 3/11/11

For regular visitors of Realestatewebmasters blogs the title of this post may seem familiar. That's because Hawaii had a tsunami warning in February 2010, just over a year ago. We hope tsunami warnings will not become an annual event here.

Last night I received a text around 9 p.m. from a relative, asking if a Tsunami warning had been issued. We turned the TV on and saw the devastation in Japan from the 8.9 magnitude earthquake. The videos were amazing. The looked like something out of a disaster movie. The world news channels reported that tsunami warnings in other coastal nations and Hawaii may be forthcoming.

By 10:30 p.m. Hawaii TV stations were notifying residents about a tsunami warning with an estimated wave arrival time around 3 a.m. By 11 p.m. the warning sirens around the islands started blowing. The sirens are loud enough that they will alert just about everyone who isn't deaf.

At that point we called it a night. Our home is several miles from the ocean and well above sea level. At 3 a.m. the warning sirens went off again.

By 6 a.m. the sun was coming out and we caught up with the TV news. During the night, the tides began going up and down at irregular intervals. When the tide went out, the reef and shoreline were exposed far more than normal and many observers were amazed.

Last night people went out to stores and gas stations, stocking up supplies and filling up their gas tanks. Police went through coastal areas such as Waikiki, Waianae and Hawaii Kai, warning residents to stay off the streets and seek higher ground. Waikiki hotels evacuated visitors to rooms on higher floors, 6th floor and higher.

News reported that some neighborhoods had people sleeping in their cars on higher ground. And some roads, such as Kalanianaole Highway in East Oahu were open in the Honolulu-bound direction and closed in the other direction (which runs closer to the ocean). On the Big Island, Hilo airport was closed overnight because it's near the beach.

Another interesting report is that boats and docks at Keehi Lagoon in Honolulu were damaged by the water surges. When the water retreated, the boats and docks went aground. And when the water came back in, apparently the surge knocked the boats and docks into each other, resulting in extensive damage.

At this point, 8 a.m. Friday morning, governor Neil Abercrombie is on the news, stating the tsunami warning is being downgraded to a tsunami watch. That means we can breathe easier, however we are still instructed to stay away from the beaches and coastline until later in the day.

Looks like we are okay! I was scheduled to look at two oceanfront homes this morning. We may have to postone those viewings.

Aloha, Mike Bates (RA)

i Properties Hawaii