The first statewide exercise held Tuesday to test local tsunami warning response will be repeated annually for two or three years with expanded participation, says Brian Yanagi, State Civil Defense earthquake-tsunami program manager. Tsunami preparedness
exercise to encoreBy Helen Altonn
haltonn@starbulletin.comThe drill, conducted with the monthly test of the state's siren warning system, simulated an earthquake measuring magnitude 7.6 on the Big Island's South Kona coast.
Should that occur, according to the exercise scenario, it would generate a destructive local tsunami reaching all islands in about 45 minutes. Extensive damage would occur to all harbor facilities and moored boats.
Yanagi said the exercise validated rapid communications procedures to activate sirens and the Emergency Alert System.
Coastal inland and vertical evacuation procedures were tested and emergency response checklists and procedures reviewed, he said.
Two or three future annual exercises will be initiated with more agencies involved "to sharpen emergency planning and response skills," he said.
"Agencies must remain vigilant to effectively respond to tsunamis: Hawaii's No. 1 natural disaster killer."
Participating in the behind-the-scenes training and exercise sessions with the state Civil Defense Division were all county defense agencies, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, National Weather Service, International Tsunami Information Center, County/State Warning Points, Department of Education, American Red Cross, Hawaii Tourism Authority, Pacific Tsunami Museum and Civil Air Patrol.
An unexpected participant was Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon, who said census data "serve as the foundation for emergency planning, preparedness and evacuation."
"They provide an accurate population and housing count for any given area, allowing officials to plot effective evacuation routes based on where people actually live and work," he said.
The Census Bureau's latest data show Hawaii's population has increased 37 percent since 1975, when the last local tsunami occurred, resulting in two deaths near Halape on the Big Island.
"Almost two generations have grown up in Hawaii since then with little experience or knowledge of tsunamis," said Chip McCreery, Tsunami Warning Center director. "It is an educational challenge."
State Civil Defense
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center