Friday, February 26, 2010

Hawaii under tsunami advisory

Hawaii is under a tsunami advisory after a massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Chile, generating at least one 10-foot wave in the South American region.

If a tsunami were to reach Hawaii's shores, the first waves would hit at about 11:19 a.m. Saturday, according to Pacific Tsunami Warning Center officials.



That's surfing the Internet.



I moved my 2 motorbikes to higher ground at 5am this morning. Parked them on the street by what's da name of the church on Monsarrat Ave. It's beyond the outline of the inundation zone I think. At least it's at a higher elevation than our basement garage which was built below sea level and across the street from the Ala Wai canal. I passed the Waikiki zoo walking back to Waikiki and wondered just what's keeping the wild animals from swimming out of their cages should a tsunami actually hit. The zoo is a stone's throw from the beach and barely above sea level and all that. The thought of wild animals roaming the streets. Noah's Ark??


The fucking local tv news...."please check your phone books for the inundation zone in your neighborhoods." Imbeciles. Alrighty, perhaps it's just early in the morning. They tv anchors are stressed and utter things that aren't the brightest. If you live a few hundred yards from the ocean on flat land, you'd don't need no stinking inundation zone map, would you?


The tv news is showing long lines at gas stations around town. A tidal wave is not like a hurricane which shuts off power island-wide disabling gas pumps. So, dunno the urgency of the drivers. The beach camera is also showing some people surfing off Waikiki beach. Wouldn't want to put that off, you knows, real surfing. An ambulance just screamed by on the Ala Wai Blvd. Maybe somebody been get heart attack from all the commotion.


I've been noticing that the municipal ducks are conspicuously missing from the Ala Wai canal this morning. Instinct? Not even a single quake to be heard. The Ala Wai canal is a tidal pool and ebbs and flows with the ambient sea level. There are a lot of tourists staying on beach front that will be having an experience to remember if a high enough tidal surge does materialize. Tahiti had a 6-feet wave so far. I entertained the thought of renting one hotel room right on the ocean to record the force majeure. But, eh, too expensive. They'll probably jack up the rates. Btw, hotel guests are safe where they're at. Conventional strategy is that you evade a tsunami by high tailing vertically. Climb up the nearest coconut tree. Guests get moved to a higher floor. Waikiki hotels are supposedly built on concrete stilts to allow a tidal surge to pass underneath. Meanwhile I have no idea what the itinerary is for arriving visitors. Earlier this morning I thought of evacuating my two motorbikes to a hotel parking complex at least on the second floor level. The expense wasn't as much a problem as the prospect of not being able to ride the bikes out if the street became littered with debris.


This wahine sound asleep a few feet away from the Ala Wai canal, oblivious to it all. I don't have the heart to wake her up.


I'm following the Hilo Bay cam, and the water in the bay appears to be receding. The first wave was suppose to hit Hilo at 11:05pm, but still no show. Hawaiian time. Uh-oh, the water is now surging in to complete the cycle, but nothing spectacular. Now the current recedes back again in the opposite direction which signifies the end of the surge. Does that mean the much feared first wave was a humongous 2-inches tall? A resounding thumbs down. In a good way, mind you.


Forget it....

27 comments:

Brad Farless said...

Be safe...

RONW said...

Brad- we'll see.

Brad Farless said...

I hear the alarms are going off already. Don't you live near the water? Maybe you should head to higher ground?

Rowena said...

Just im'd my dad. If it hits bad, I think he be selling the beach rentals.

RONW said...

Brad- they just sounded the second siren alert (7:00am).

RONW said...

Rowena- he'll be doing what? Make reservation for me, then.

OkiHwn said...

Rowena - me too!

RONW - should have let me know, could have brought to my home.

RONW said...

thanks, Nate.

Kay said...

Did you say you live above the 3rd floor?

RONW said...

Kay- 12-floor. It's that I would have been sure to park my 2 bikes above the second floor at parking complex.

Ann da sista said...

I talked to Dad this morning at 5AM Hawaii time. He said, "Oh. I guess I won't drive to Lihue to get dog food today." Good thinking, Dad...! We're watching KHON TV via the internet today and Keahi Tucker (we were high school classmates) was on the Today Show this morning as well. Here's hoping that this is much ado about nothing....

Brad Farless said...

So uh Ron. Be sure to let us know if you're still there in about 30 minutes ok? If not, I'll go wait on the shore for you to wash up here in Singapore.

Brad Farless said...

You know... that sounds a lot more morbid than I intended.

I'll wait for you to wash up so I can buy you an expensive beer... heh

RONW said...

Ann- there's absolutely no sane reason for the mad rush to the stores. Most stores are beyond the inundation zone, and they'll be still there after the all clear sounds.

Brad- I really could use the humor. I don't drink alcohol, but cheers.

OkiHwn said...

In the early '60s when in school they would send us up to the second floor of the concrete buildings at Iolani. If at off schoool time, we'd go to the Diamond Head Lookout by my home. I remember seeing the reefs there dry! But no real surge afterwards.

Rowena said...

I watching u guyz live from honoadvert webcam.

RONW said...

Nate- when we were working on the second building at Ft. DeRussy, the civil defense truck drove by blaring on the loud speaker that anybody makai of Kalia Rd. should evacuate immediately. Heck, we were at ground level a stone's throw from the water, but nobody stopped work unless get fired.

Rowena- KGMB get a live Hilo Bay cam. Dunno about their website. So far, so good. No mo nothing as yet.

Kahuku said...

I was listening to KAPAfm via their phone app today while driving away from my house on the mainland which was also under the tsunami watch. So, releaved for both the islands and wa state coast. Glad you and your ponies are okay

RONW said...

kahuku- It's a relief, but it's a bit frustrating that we have to wait until the wave reaches Hilo to know the size of it.

OkiHwn said...

Mother Nature really shut down the Hawaiian economy for the day!

RONW said...

Nate- with a higher magnitude. It was a windfall for some stores, though.

Kay said...

Ron, is Ann da sista really your sister? So she knew Keahi Tucker? Is that his real name? I noticed a lot of Hawaiian anchors have Hawaiian names and they look haole. I wondered if they took Hawaiian names to boost their ratings.

RONW said...

Kay- holly molly, that involves a bit of local anthropology. It may be a bona fide middle name, or the Hawaiian equivalent. With me, five-minutes after I'm introduced I tend to forget names, anyways. But this local guy take the cake, never miss, every single time he runs into me....shake hand, shake hand .... as if it was going out of style. Then he would always, always, follow with, "what your name, now?"

Cloudia said...

we survived!!!

RONW said...

Cloudia- 22 floors above ground? You were safe.

Ann da sista said...

Kay - Keahi Tucker is his real name. He's a local Kaua'i boy but he didn't speak like a newscaster at school. So funny to see him on teevee!

Kay said...

Wow! No kidding! I love it!