Quote:
Originally Posted by puckluck
Were you and your wife the couple that they talked about in the Calgary Sun? They mention a couple staying in Kona sleeping in their cars.
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No.
There were thousands on the move, camping in their cars along mountainous, lava field highways on higher ground or bussed to shelters. The entire coastline was cleared of people, including hotels, to a depth of at least half a mile, all with only a few hours notice. Tsunami warning sirens were sounding with increasing frequency and emergency workers were going through communities with loudspeakers telling people to get out. Radio stations pooled their broadcasts to the effort.
Basically the full warning was issued at 10:30 at night with the tsunami strike predicted on this island at 3:37 am, the first notice of unusual activity in Kona at 3:32 am and the most destructive surge that went about 600 feet into the town at 5 am.
It was an impressively executed disaster plan. Our small part was to stay out of the way and stay self sufficient. And, with the knowledge of Japan in hand, it was actually kind of fun, although that is because it generally ended well.
Hawaii was fortunate.
Cowperson