The emergency center at the Kauai Veterans Center was full of activity on Wednesday as evacuees anxiously waited for news about flight departures from the Lihue Airport.
Lihue Airport is one of a state network of airports that suspended all commercial flights on Tuesday following an 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. The earthquake also resulted in a tsunami warning for the Pacific area, including Hawaii.
The airport closure disrupted both incoming and departing flights and other operations, including the non-delivery of the daily newspaper. Following the all clear for coastal evacuation zones that came shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday, the airports resumed operations on Wednesday morning.
At the height of the tsunami warning, county officials said more than 1,800 individuals were accommodated including a number who were bound for Lihue Airport. Evacuees were temporarily provided shelter at “refuge shelters” at Kapaa High School, Kapaa Middle School, Eleele Elementary School, Koloa School and Public Library, the Kauai Community College, the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center and Kilauea Elementary School.
The Kauai Veterans Center, according to a Red Cross volunteer, was a last-minute arrangement and consolidated those refuge seekers from the college who needed overnight accommodations.
“When the Kauai Emergency Management Agency people came this morning, there were about 150 people here,” the volunteer said. “The County of Kauai will maintain shelter operations at the Kauai Veterans Center for displaced visitors only on Wednesday.”
Operations were scheduled to end Wednesday.
Kauai Community College, posted on the county’s emergency website as the sole “refuge” in the Lihue area, accommodated about 300 people at about 30 minutes before the first tsunami waves were predicted to hit Kauai’s North Shore at Hanalei.
“There are more coming in,” said KCC Chancellor Margaret Sanchez who, along with other members of the college’s administrative team and security guards, ran the shelter where a lot of refuge seekers sprawled out on the Performing Art Center’s lawn and grassy areas in the parking lot. “They’re looking for a lot of things — water, restrooms, food, WiFi and more.”
Following the series of waves and surges from the tsunami, county officials conducted a sweep of coastal areas to ensure that it was safe to return along the island’s roads and highway infrastructure.
“At a glance, the tsunami spared Hawaiian shores with only minimal damage, though impacts are still being assessed,” said the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources. “Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation staff continue to evaluate some boat harbors on Maui and Oahu, and provide support to any vessels in need.”
County officials advise that small sea level changes and strong or unusual currents may persist for several additional hours in some coastal areas, and encourage citizens to exercise caution in coastal areas including beaches, docks, piers, harbor areas or rivers, and streams subject to tidal surges.
Following the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for Hawaii at 2:43 p.m. on Tuesday. The tsunami that hit Hawaii starting from shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday included waves that hit Kauai in Hanalei at 3.9 feet amplitude, or height relative to sea level. This was the highest wave to impact Kauai.
On Oahu, Haleiwa reported waves of 4.0 feet, Hilo recorded waves reaching 4.9 feet, and Kahului on Maui had the biggest waves in Hawaii that reached 5.7 feet.
Source: The Garden Island
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