What are the odds of experiencing two tsunami warnings? As a AAA inspector, I am privileged to work part of the year in the Hawaiian Islands, where, in 2010, there was the possibility of a tsunami due to an earthquake in Chile.  The hotel I was evaluating took many steps to prepare, including moving me to an upper floor of the hotel.  The sirens sounded, people evacuated to higher ground and I watched the ocean go in and out from the bay at least four times in one hour.  I waited for the “big one” that did not happen.  The all-clear signal eventually came and I checked out of the hotel, never thinking I would experience that again.
On March 11th, I was again in Hawaii, conducting evaluations on the Big Island.  I was writing up some reports in the lobby on my laptop and was surprised I had the lobby all to myself when a gentleman asked me if I had heard about the earthquake in Japan and the tsunami that was to hit Hawaii.  I had not, and immediately went to my room to listen to the news. In disbelief, I began to prepare (at least mentally) for this tsunami. 

Should I pack everything up, get in my rental car and go to the hills or stay in my room which happened to be on the sixth floor?  Could my hotel building withstand the force of the tsunami?  Should I go out and buy food?  Gas?  (Why get gas if your car may float away?) The hotel staff had already sprung into action, distributing a letter advising guests who planned on staying to fill their bathtubs with water, and to close their windows and drapes to block any debris from coming in.  State officials had also deemed one of the ballrooms in the hotel a “safe zone” and it would not be necessary to evacuate to even higher ground.

Initially I went to the ballroom, but then I decided to stay in my room as it was said any guest room above four stories should be safe.  I rushed to the store to get what supplies I could, but the local store was closing so that the employees could be with their families and also prepare.  I next rushed to the gas station, filled up after waiting a half hour in line, and bought whatever snacks and drinks I could for at least four days.  The next nearest regular grocery store was over a half hour away and already the highway was jammed with people trying to get to the hills.  People were checking out of my hotel in droves, loading up their cars with pillows and blankets from the hotel. 

At 10 pm I hunkered down in my hotel room, prepared for a long, sleepless night.  The tsunami was scheduled to reach the Hawaiian Islands at around 3:30 am.  I listened to the news intently, asking myself over and over – did I make the right decision by staying in my hotel room?  At what point will it be too late to jump in my car and head for the hills?

I assured myself I would be safe up on the sixth floor and if the tsunami was large I just would not be able to leave for days.  The news advised if the nearby islands of Midway and Guam were hit bad, then surely Hawaii would be.  I waited anxiously for the news about these two islands.  There was no news coming from these two islands!  Did that mean they were nearly wiped out?

At last, after working and conducting AAA evaluations all day, I fell asleep around two o’clock in the morning.  The tsunami came through and swept the Hawaiian Islands at 4:30 am. There was damage to several hotels, including the beach of my hotel about 100 yards from my room.  A seawall was knocked down, along with several palm trees. Luckily, I somehow managed to dodge the bullet – twice now. 

Life got back to normal for most the island quickly, although some hotels will be cleaning up for months.  While the damage is nowhere near the damage that occurred in Japan, the power of Mother Nature is one to behold – from a distance.