In two months, federal, state, county and other emergency first responders hold an annual weeklong hurricane disaster exercise and drills. This year, they will add several problems stemming from yesterday's tsunami response.

No damage was reported on any island from the surges generated by an 8.8- magnitude earthquake off Chile. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which placed Hawaii under a tsunami warning at 12:47 a.m. yesterday, said the highest wave was reported at Kahului Harbor on Maui 11 hours later, at 11:47 a.m., at 3.2 feet.

Edward Teixeira, state vice Civil Defense director, said in his job “;we always prepare for the worst but hope for the best.”;

But one of things state Civil Defense officials had not taken into consideration was that the sewage treatment plants on Maui and Sand Island in Honolulu are in low-lying tsunami evacuation areas and could be subject to damage from high waves.

To prevent shutdown of the Wailuku plant, Maui County officials cut power to the pumps in the plant and advised people to conserve water. The Board of Water Supply in Honolulu also contemplated similar action.

A sewage spill occurred on Maui while power was down at four wastewater pump stations near Wailuku and one in Napili, Maui County spokeswoman Mahina Martin said in an e-mail. Maui residents were warned yesterday to stay out of the water near Wailuku and Napili because of possible contamination.

  Tsunami Exercise Shows Great Signs of Preparedness

 

The Governor and the head of our State Civil Defense are calling this tsunami warning an excellent exercise in preparedness.

[ Watch ]

 

Teixeira also said state and city officials need to develop a plan to keep a “;transportation corridor”; open between Honolulu Airport and Waikiki to help with evacuation of tourists either arriving or leaving Honolulu.

He also pointed out that while Hawaii County officials hold monthly evacuation drills at Keaukaha Elementary School as part of their hurricane preparedness drills, it was not until yesterday that there was a need to close Hilo Airport. The roads near the airport were needed to evacuate 3,000 residents living in low-lying areas.

Gov. Linda Lingle and Teixeira also praised Hawaii residents for heeding pleas from government officials to stay home—unless they needed to evacuate because they lived in low-lying areas—keeping highways open for emergency vehicles.

Lingle, who monitored the situation from state Civil Defense emergency operating center in Diamond Head Crater's Birkhimer World War II bunkers, told reporters that “;the biggest plus was the amount of time the state had to prepare.”;

Lingle also said the situation was helped because the tsunami was supposed to hit the islands during the day on a Saturday, when all schools and many businesses were closed.

In talking to reporters after the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center canceled the “;tsunami warning”; at about 1:38 p.m., Teixeira added that the earthquake and tsunami in Samoa last September and the January earthquake in Haiti may have added to “;the high sense of preparedness”; throughout the state.

Teixeira was working when the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center sent out a bulletin and issued a tsunami advisory at 8:44 p.m. Friday after the earthquake rocked Chile.

“;We knew it would be a major problem,”; Teixeira added.

Lingle emphasized several times that the success of yesterday's operations was due to the planning done by Teixeira and his crew and county officials. “;They are the first responders,”; she said referring to the county mayors, “;and they know what to do.”;

Earlier in the day, Lingle had problems talking directly to island radio and TV stations because several stations had placed the telephone connection “;on hold”; and were not ready to take the “;live feed”; from Diamond Head Crater.

There also were problems where some residents, particularly on Oahu in Waiau, Kalaheo and Kunia, said the emergency sirens were not operating. The sirens were first sounded at 6 a.m. yesterday and were turned on at the top of every hour after that.

Shelly Ichishita, state Civil Defense spokeswoman, said repair crews would be sent to those areas to check the sirens.