Gov. Josh Green told Hawaii residents that a tsunami was expected to hit the islands two hours after his press conference just after 5 p.m. local time on July 29.
About an hour later, the governor said the wave was registered in Midway at about three feet tall but he said that it would not just be a normal wave.
“I wanted to remind people, this is not just like a wave that comes off the shore … a three foot [that] wave smacks down on the beach. This is a longitudinal wave with great force, driving through the shoreline and into land. That’s why we ask people to evacuate very far back.”
The first wave of the tsunami, which was caused by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, was expected to arrive around the island of Kauai around 7:10 p.m. local time, but all islands will be affected.
The governor also said that a safe distance from shoreline was at least 4,000 feet, and added that a rush of water three feet high was large enough to pick up vehicles on the road, and knock over large poles and dislodge trees.
“The impact is at great speed,” he explained. “Any structure that gets loose and strikes an individual could take them out, and people could drop quite easily with the force of that kind of wave. So again, people have to really distinguish the waves we are accustomed to on the coast every day versus a tsunami, it’s a different beast altogether.”
Authorities also said that it could be up to half an hour from first contact with the first wave for all of the other islands to feel the effect.
They urged all Hawaiian residents and visitors to remain in their safe space until the all clear was officially given.
Multiple sirens have already gone off around the archipelago as people fled to higher ground. Green told those in high-rise buildings to evacuate vertically to at least the fourth floor.
Hawaii’s state government is in communication with all levels of government from local to federal as the wave approaches. All sea ports are closed and all ships were ordered away from land by the Coast Guard.
Meanwhile, federal and state resources are being staged to deploy, and shelters are opening across the state.
“We were immediately in contact with our congressional delegation,” Green said. “We also are prepared to continuously have our [emergency operations centers] activated on all of the islands. The mayors are in charge. We’ve been in constant communication with them as well. So everyone is prepared. Everyone is ready for what may come, but there is always some uncertainty about the size of the wave.”
Authorities also confirmed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was posturing to assist Hawaii with any damage from the tsunami.
Hawaii has been in this situation before, according to Green. He referred to a tsunami that hit his state in March 2011 after a 9.0 earthquake was registered in Japan. The tsunami was seven feet high and hit Maui, causing $7.5 million but resulted in no casualties because, as he said, “we were thoughtful and smart and calm.”
