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Governor declares April 'Tsunami Awareness Month'

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Mike Meares
  • Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Public Affairs
HONOLULU --  Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, alongside several other agencies, issued a proclamation naming April 2013 Tsunami Awareness Month at the State Capitol April 1, 2013.

The Hawaii State Civil Defense, the mayor of the city and county of Honolulu, Department of Emergency Management and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service and representatives from the Department of Defense all took part in the proclamation which emphasizes the importance of tsunami awareness and preparedness for residents and visitors of Hawaii.

According to the Pacific Disaster Center, tsunamis have accounted for more lost lives than the total of all other local disasters. In the 20th century, an estimated 221 people have been killed by tsunamis, most of which occurred on the big island in 1946 and 1960. April 1, 1946 marks the 67th anniversary of the Hilo tsunami, one of the deadliest waves to strike the islands.

"It's a rather sobering experience today," Abercrombie said. "It was a little over two years ago that I had my first formal confrontation with the responsibilities associated with dealing with the possibility of a major tsunami hitting the islands of Hawaii."

Waves swept inland destroying everything in its path March 11, 2011, when an 8.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast near Natori, Miyagi, Japan, generated a tsunami felt across the Pacific. The largest quake on Japanese record shook buildings across Tokyo and unleashed a seven-meter-high tsunami that killed hundreds as it engulfed towns on the northern coast. More than 20 countries around the Pacific Rim were put on alert to brace for a potential tsunami. Abercrombie said he remembers the anxiety of preparing and waiting for the wave to hit.

"Instead of it being almost momentary, as Japan experienced, we had a considerable amount of time to think about and to go over what it was we are prepared to do," Abercrombie said. "And to examine postscript, post tsunami, what it is we might do to be better prepared, if we needed to be."

Improving the tsunami alert system, especially across the human communication factors, has been a point of concentration for Hawaii and is the key to the state being prepared to take on such devastating naturally occurring events. Lessons learned since the surprise of 1946 has created the alert system used today. While the governor was speaking, right on cue, the monthly tsunami alarm started blaring across the state to signal the monthly test, held the first working day of the month at 11:45 a.m.

"I'm very, very pleased to say that I have really complete confidence in the capacity of the various agencies, individuals and groups that have responsibility with regard to a tsunami, both with the point of view of the warning and the point of view of awareness," he said. "Very, very proud and happy that we've been able to work in a cooperative and collaborative way across government agencies, non-profits, police agencies, federal, state and local entities to come up with the pan that we have and to make sure the public knows that we are prepared."

"Part of the reason for having 'Tsunami Awareness Month' is we don't want to get complacent that we will never have a tsunami of that magnitude," Abercrombie said.

By characteristic, tsunamis are a series of waves varying in height, not just one wave. Abercrombie warned people who wanted to test the strength of a tsunami by being a "jackass" and not evacuating the coastal areas, to instead take higher ground.

"How do we save lives," said Dr. Gerald Fryer, senior geophysics at NOAA's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. "The tsunami warning system has improved, and it gets better every day. We have learned a lot. The number of unnecessary warnings is really going down. So when we issue a warning, it's for real."

U.S. Navy Capt. Jeff James, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam commander, echoed the ideas of the governor and the geophysicist in being prepared to deal with the consequences of a tsunami, safeguarding families and evacuating to high ground when the alarm sounds; because things can be replaced, but lives cannot.

"You have to heed the warning," James said. "The science behind a warning is pretty solid. We're prepared; we're ready on the base. We are a tsunami ready base, the first base in Hawaii to become tsunami ready, which means we have a plan, we've looked at it very closely, and very critically, are in close communications with city and state civil defense, as well as higher headquarters in the military."

All agencies at the proclamation urged people of Hawaii to take immediate action in the event of a tsunami warning and follow the media, radio, television or social media outlets.

Residents and personnel on JBPHH can receive updates on JBPHH Facebook, website, www.cnic.navy.mil/pearlharbor-hickam, Joint Base Television (Oceanic Ch. 2), and the JBPHH Straight Talk Line at 808-421-4000.