Hawaii Tsunami Evacuation Zones: Emergency Plans Underway Due To 2010 Hawaii Tsunami Warning

Hawaii tsunami evacuation zones include all coastal areas in Hawaii at the moment with a tsunami expected to arrive in Hawaii today at 11:20 a.m. local time, or 4:20 p.m. Eastern time.

Hawaii officials don't expect all areas to be hard hit, but are taking extra precautions, as the wave can unpredictably loop around islands and cause impact.

The Pacific Disaster Center is the best place to find maps of these Hawaii tsunami evacuation zones, as the Hawaii State Civil Defense Web site is currently having server issues.

The tsunami is expected to hit hardest Hilo Bay on Hawaii Island and Kahului Harbor in Maui, according to geophysicist Brian Shiro.

Tsunami waves in Hawaii could reach as high as six to 10 feet. In some places, they may only be two to three feet.

Hawaii State Civil Defense is urging people to take the necessary preparation and not take the potential tsunami lightly.

Oahu Emergency Management Department spokesman told the Hawaii Advertiser, "If you live anywhere in the evacuation zone, you have to evacuate ... This is a serious event. We're going to treat this as a destructive-type tsunami."

Comments

[pakaal]

10:32 PM on 02/27/2010

Well, we're all a bit tired over here from getting up so early (and yeah, stressing a bit at the possibility of large amounts of death and destruction), but thankfully it wasn't a strong set of waves. If nothing else it was a fairly successful dry run. Hopefully no one will take this as a reason to ignore the warnings next time. As humans are strangely wont to do when they become complacent.

[haolegolucky]

03:28 PM on 02/27/2010

We're sitting and waiting for it to hit....got about a half hour to go!

Lovely day for something like this.

[Pam Harrison]

02:48 PM on 02/27/2010

Could you please check details on the tsunami reports? I heard reports that Hawaii was expecting 6-10 *40 foot* waves, not waves ranging from 6-10 feet. Scoffers are dismissing this as not a tsunami, and we need to make sure some cynics are not sulking in front of their televisions when it hits.

[SurrealPumpkin]

03:20 PM on 02/27/2010

I've heard 6-10 foot waves, three expected. The forty feet may come from how high they expect the water to go once it arrives.

[Jim Waddell]

02:39 PM on 02/27/2010

My prayers go out to my family in Hawaii. Watching the news out in Hawaii http://www.hawaiitsunami.com, seems pretty serious.

[Jennifer Sigman]

01:26 PM on 02/27/2010

Thanks for the info... hope everyone there stays safe.