By: Charles E Roessler and Eric Lipton
New York Times
Published: February 27, 2010

KAUAI, Hawaii — A poised Hawaii waited for a tsunami to hit on Saturday, with the islands’ beaches cleared and with residents and tourists already on higher ground. Local hourly warnings followed a powerful earthquake that had struck Chile a half day earlier.

Residents had been told that the tsunami would hit Hilo Bay on Hawaii Island at 11:05 a.m. (4:05 p.m. Eastern); on Honolulu at 11:37, and on Kauai at 11:42 as it moved up the island chain. Shortly before noon, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center announced that the tsunami had indeed reached the Hawaii Island, even though its destructive power was not immediately evident.

Television showed images of deserted beaches in Hilo Bay against a backdrop of blue skies, helicopters hovering above, and cars parked on mountainside highways, its passengers waiting for an all-clear siren.

Evacuation alarms first sounded in Hawaii’s vulnerable coastal areas at 6 a.m. local time Saturday, (11 a.m. Eastern) as the region prepared for what federal officials say could be a dangerous — but most likely not catastrophic — tsunami.

The first message to residents and tourists in Hawaii was don’t panic, there was time. President Obama added to the warnings given of residents of Hawaii, Guam and other Pacific territories. In a short statement given outside the White House, he said that he had met with his national security team, which was taking steps to ensure that Hawaii and the West Coast were on alert.

“I urge citizens to listen closely to the instructions of local officials, who will have the full support of the federal government as they prepare for a potential tsunami, and recover from any damage that may be caused,” Mr. Obama said. “I also urge our citizens along the West Coast to be prepared as well, as there may be dangerous waves and currents throughout the day. Again, the most important thing that you can do is to carefully heed the instructions of your state and local officials.”

The decision to evacuate coastal areas and handing this evacuation is the responsibility of state and local officials in Hawaii, a Homeland Security official had said earlier.

Hawaii had not issued a statewide evacuation order, instead leaving that decision to individual counties.
As the first early-morning sirens went off in Hawaii, local television news stations stressed that the alarms were a warning, not an evacuation notice. But residents and tourists were told to stay away from beaches and stock up with enough water and nonperishable food for five to seven days. The media also stressed a vertical evacuation — that is, waiting out the tsunami on at least the third floor of a building.

W. Craig Fugate, the FEMA administrator, said that his department and the Department of Homeland Security were “closely monitoring the situation, and officials are in close contact with the State of Hawaii and the U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean that could be impacted by a potential tsunami.”
“FEMA stands ready to assist should a request for assistance be made,” he said in a statement, “and does have pre-deployed assets in Hawaii, including food, water, generators and other resources. We urge all individuals to follow the direction provided by local officials.”

Earlier in the day, Brian R. Shiro, geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, said that computer models show that the impact will be greatest in such spots as Hilo Bay, which closed its airport at 6 a.m. in anticipation, and Kahului Harbor in Maui.

In those areas, the tsunami waves could reach as high as six to 10 feet, Mr. Shiro said. Elsewhere in Hawaii, the waves will likely be only about two to three feet.
Officials warned that all coastal areas in Hawaii could be affected because the wave can reach around the islands as it passes the region.

“Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin. “All shores are at risk no matter which direction they face.”

In a statement, the National Weather Service explained the dangers of the tsunami, saying that its crest “can last 5 to 15 minutes or more and extensively flood coastal areas. The danger can continue for many hours after the initial wave as subsequent waves arrive. Tsunami wave heights cannot be predicted and the first wave may not be the largest.”

“Tsunami waves efficiently wrap around islands,” the service noted. “All shores are at risk no matter which direction they face.”
In addition, it warned that debris picked up and carried by a tsunami “amplifies its destructive power.”
Already, some boat owners moved their boats away from the coast, to avoid damage when the waves arrive. Beaches were closed and pre-determined evacuation zones in certain coastal areas were being cleared.

Tourists staying in modern, high-rise resort hotels will be safe, Mr. Shiro said, as long as they are above the third floor. . Tourist areas could be the most vulnerable because of their beach location in the usual best-weather spots on many of the islands.

“Get off the shore line,” John Cummings, Oahu Civil Defense spokesman, told Reuters earlier in the day. “We are closing all the beaches and telling people to drive out of the area.”

A tsunami is essentially a wave. But it looks like a rise in sea level, or more like a flood, Mr. Shiro said before it hit. But it takes place very quickly. An initial wave will come in and then follow up waves will arrive, most likely 20 or so minutes later, in a pattern that could continue for several hours.

“The waves are so big that to the observer it looks like a very big tide,” he said.

The last time there was a Pacific wide tsunami warning—as has now taken place—was in 1964, Mr. Shiro said.

There have been past regional warnings in Hawaii, such as in 1994, that passed with no tsunami impact at all. But tsunamis historically have caused major damage and loss of life in Hawaii, most recently in 1975, when two people were killed in one event, Mr. Shiro said.

“So far, the models and based on the information we have, in Hawaii, most shores will experience two to three feet, which is not that big,” he said. “But you should still avoid swimming or surfing.”

Charles E. Roessler reported from Kauai, Hawaii, and Eric Lipton from Washington. Peter Baker contributed reporting from Washington.