Finding Higher Ground: Are We Prepared For A Tsunami Warning?

Living on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the possibility of a tsunami watch or advisory is not entirely surprising. But when an official tsunami warning is announced, that's when people start to freak out. Being at home during a tsunami warning could be terrifying, but what would happen if you were on campus?

Although tsunamis are rare, they can happen when we least expect it. There have been a number of tsunami warnings in Hawai‘i's history, but only 13 significant tsunamis have actually generated waves and caused damage.

According to the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), an estimated 221 people in Hawai‘i have been killed in the wake of a tsunami during the 20th century. Yet, as the years go by, residents have been educated about what to do when there's a tsunami warning. The island-wide siren system has also been a huge help, as it gives residents some time to evacuate and plan what they're going to do next.

When a devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake ravaged Japan in March 2011, many people were ready for tsunami waves to strike Maui's coastlines. "My house is close to the beach so once I heard the siren, my mom and I got out of there and headed Upcountry." said Janel Moral, who lives in Kihei. For the most part, no major damage was caused last March—but if one were to hit us hard, would we be ready?

Regardless of our knowledge about tsunamis, we're all at risk.

Here at UH Maui College, there could be chaos if a tsunami warning were to be issued during school hours. The school campus is located in the tsunami danger zone, according to the County of Maui's tsunami hazard maps. Since the campus is sited so close to the ocean (literally across the street, along Maui Beach Road), the entire school would be flooded if a tsunami were to strike.

Even worse, if a sudden tsunami warning were happen during school hours, there wouldn't be enough time for faculty, staff and students to map out an evacuation plan. Just imagine people running around the school in a panic, and the traffic as everyone tried to get out of the main parking lot.

There are a lot of things that could go wrong, and we should be prepared for it.

Because tsunamis rarely happen, not many people consider these unlikely events to be a huge deal. When asked what he would do if a tsunami warning were to occur during school hours, Brock Shishido, a UH Maui College student, said, "I would get out of class and run for my life up Ka‘ahumanu Avenue."

Like Brock, Not many people know what to do or where to go.

"I would sprint mauka [and] I would definitely grab all my stuff, ditch class and try to help anyone if they needed help going anywhere," said second-year student Haylee Watson. When asked if she knew where the safety zones were, she admitted, "I don't know exactly where the safety zones are, but I know the one for the school is the mall and I don't know why... I think a better safety zone would be Baldwin High School and any building on a hill."    

Not many students seem to know what to do or where to go if this were to happen. Thankfully, the school's Website (http://maui.hawaii.edu/?s=faculty&p=emergency_proc) outlines emergency procedures and an emergency plan that everyone should take time to review. The emergency plan suggests what students should do in the event of a tsunami, as well as other emergency situations, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and bomb threats. According to the emergency plan, UH Maui College is located in a "tsunami inundation zone." The "safety zone" is across the street, at Queen Ka‘ahumanu Shopping Center—which is barely out of the tsunami zone.

The policy for the emergency plan states that "serious traffic problems can develop during a tsunami warning [and] mitigation requires cooperation and coordination of all levels of government in reducing traffic." The procedure of the emergency plan says that all people in a designated tsunami inundation zones may be released. However, people not in tsunami zones have to stay behind, in order to reduce traffic.

Even though the plan recommends that we evacuate the main campus once a tsunami siren sounds, sometimes tsunamis can happen in a matter of minutes—and without the warning of a siren. For example, a huge landslide off the shore of the Big Island could generate a tsunami, and we would only have minutes to prepare for the worst.

Tsunamis generated in distant locations will give people some time to move to higher ground. As for locally generated tsunamis, people may only have a few minutes to move to higher ground. If a tsunami suddenly hit Maui's shorelines, the campus might not have enough time to evacuate. It's a scary thought: tsunami waves move faster than we can run. So, the best thing we can do is be prepared for a tsunami ahead of time.

You should have a plan. Find out if you live, work or attend school in a tsunami inundation zone. Be familiar with the tsunami warning signs. Choose a meeting location that is inland and elevated. Know where the tsunami safe zones are. Stay safe, and stay informed.

You can find Maui County's tsunami hazard maps in the front section of your phone book, and on the PDC Website (www.pdc.org), a helpful site that lets you type in your address to see if you are in a tsunami zone. The Website also offers tips and additional information about tsunamis in Hawai‘i.