HONOLULU (KHON2) — April is Tsunami Awareness Month, an opportunity for residents to prepare and protect their properties and create a plan to safeguard loved ones in the event of a tsunami.
Wake Up 2Day’s Chris Latronic was joined by HI-EMA Administrator James Barros at Ala Moana Beach Park to discuss the hazards of a tsunami.
“As a state, we’re kind of thinking about 1946 and the big tsunami where we lost 158 people on the Big Island. So it’s a good time for everybody to refresh their plans, take a look at the evacuation zones and know and understand this hazard,” Barros explained.
HI-EMA works with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and Hawaii Volcano Observatory and USGS to provide information needed to warn Hawaii residents.
In an example, Barros said if a localized tsunami hits the Big Island, Oahu residents would have about 40 minutes to react until the wave hits.
From Japan, residents would have nine hours. From Central America and South America, we would have about 16 hours. Tsunamis coming from Alaska would give Hawaii residents four to five hours to react.
Barros recommends residents get to know and familiarize themselves with the different evacuation zones.
“Understanding the evacuation zones and the extreme zones. Evacuation zone, that’s where historically, the scientists say ‘Hey this is where we want you to evacuate from.’ When I think about the extreme, you’ll know it’s extreme because something major happened in the world.”
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More information and tips can be found on HI-EMA’s website.