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A jolt of panic surged through the islands on July 29, when a massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula buckled the sea floor, sending tsunami waves across the Pacific, and with them, hours of anxious uncertainty. Fortunately, no dangerous wall of water materialized here, but an air of doubt lingers as residents who faced traffic gridlock in an attempt to flee inundation zones ponder what could have gone wrong.
It was a wake-up call for many, and consternation is a proper response to the snarls that clogged Oahu roads and highways -- motorists were stranded in Downtown Honolulu or in neighborhoods along north and west shores for three to four hours. Blame is being cast on the city and county's emergency management protocols, and there are valid concerns that must be addressed, but government is not solely to fault.
Hawaii is among a handful of U.S. states to share the unenviable distinction of recording multiple tsunami deaths. In 1946, a magnitude 8.6 temblor near the Aleutian Islands sent tsunami waves hurtling toward Hawaii, with some washing ashore at an estimated 50 to 60 feet. Hilo bore the brunt of fatalities with 96 people dead, though the total ran to 159 across the islands. Reports tell of locals venturing out into Hilo Bay to collect fish left flopping about by quickly receding waters, only to be swept up as the returning wave washed over the inlet and into town.
The event spurred the creation of the Seismic Sea Wave Warning System in 1948, a network of seismic and tidal sensors that provide early notice of potentially destructive waves, enabling emergency response officials to evacuate vulnerable areas. Greatly expanded in the 1960s, and renamed as the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), the system is still used today to great effect.
About an hour after the Russia quake in July, at around 2:20 p.m. Hawaii time, PTWC reported that a tsunami was potentially generated and estimated the first in a series of waves could arrive five hours later at 7:17 p.m. Twenty-one minutes later, the National Weather Service issued an official tsunami warning and urged people to stay aware from coastal regions. It was another 45 minutes before the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management called for initial evacuations, with more to follow throughout the day.
Honolulu officials seemed well prepared, save for one area: traffic. On-the-ground reports reflected intensely congested conditions, with some taking hours to move a few blocks or simply exit downtown parking structures. There was time in July -- thanks to PTWC -- but if the same conditions were replicated during a powerful regional quake, the loss of life could be severe.
Something must be done to avoid gridlock, and the state is working to finalize special circumstance traffic patterns, manual traffic control at vital intersections, and improved messaging and communication on evacuation zones. All quite promising, with expeditious follow-through.
Other solutions that might aid in future efforts: targeted mobile alerts based on geographic location; staggered evacuations, if time allows; and regular real-time updates.
At the same time, Oahu's citizenry holds responsibility to protect themselves and others; to understand and assess threat levels, then react appropriately. Flouting evacuation orders -- either by staying put in an evacuation zone or conversely, unnecessarily leaving a deemed safe location -- is not acceptable.
An emergency apparatus can only do so much; it is up to the public to follow orders designed to keep them safe. Likewise, residents must be aware of their proximity to tsunami evacuation zones before emergency strikes: red zones evacuate with tsunami warnings and yellow zones evacuate with extreme tsunami warnings. Review the zones statewide at 808ne.ws/evaczones, and know where and how to seek safety. There will be a next time.