Smaller-than-expected surges from a tsunami waves reached a well-prepared Hawaii today, leaving residents safe but with a strong reminder of the importance of being prepared.

Hilo Bay was the first place that the water receded and surged, starting at about 11:15 a.m., as the tsunami traveled over the island chain from east to west.

Wave surges were from less than a foot to three feet and there was no immediate reports of damage.

Officials at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach declared the islands were “;all clear”; at about 1:43 a.m.

The tsunami was generated by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Chile struck Hilo Bay last night.

The waves reached the state slightly later than predicted.

Scientists at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the first wave was followed by a second wave 20 minutes later and more waves could follow.

The tidal surge from peak to trough was about five feet, but the waves looked more like tidal surges. 

Dr.  Gerard Fryer with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said after noon that it looked that Hawaii “;dodged a bullet.”;

“;We clearly had a tsunami in the water and we had to evacuate,”; Fryer said.

He said the first tsunami wave has passed through the Hawaiian islands, but the energy from the waves will continue for a while before dissipating.

Ed Teixeira, state Cvil Defense vice director, reported surges four to five feet in Kahului Harbor on Maui just after noon.

Dan Walker, a volunteer tsunami advisor to Oahu Civil Defense, said the first small waves hit Oahu at about 11:20 a.m.

The Coast Guard reported to Civil Defense that all boats in all state harbors had been cleared.

Officials stress that tsunamis are unpredictable and can last for hours and strongly warn the public to stay away from all shores and on higher ground until further notice.

State Civil Defense sirens shook many residents out of bed at 6 a.m. today after a Pacific-wide tsunami warning was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center at Ewa Beach. But many islanders were already up after the 12:46 a.m. warning, gathering supplies, filling their gas tanks and preparing to head for higher ground.

The 14-hour lead time between the quake and the predicted tsunami gave the public plenty of time to evacuate shore lines throughout Hawaii.

At about 10 a.m., police and hotel officials evacuated the beaches and streets of Waikiki, telling tourists to go above the third floor in high rises.

“;If you live anywhere in the evacuation zone, you have to evacuate,”; said John Cummings, Oahu Emergency Management Department spokesman. “;This is a serious event. We're going to treat this as a destructive-type tsunami.”;

Residents in an evacuation zone should listen to a radio or television station for Civil Defense announcements and instructions and move inland to higher ground—walking instead of driving, if possible.

Officials advised people to have medicine, food and water for five to seven days per person in the family.

To learn if you work or live in an evacuation zone, check the Disaster Preparedness Guide in the front of the telephone directory or go to http://www.scd.hawaii.gov and enter your address in the Tsunami Evacuation Mapping Tool.

Those who aren't in an evacuation zone were urged to stay off the roads to reduce traffic jams. The road out of Waianae was reported crowded with residents leaving the area by 5 a.m. today and some traffic congestion was occurring.

Officials said the biggest problems are expected in enclosed bay areas in Hilo, Kahului and Haleiwa, where waves could reach six to eight feet.

Waves are expected to be under three feet along other shorelines, said geophysicist Brian Shiro at the Tsunami Warning Center.

“;All of our predictions and models are suggesting the tsunami in Hawaii is going to be less than three feet,”; Shiro said. “;That's not huge. But in places like Hilo Bay, Kahului, Haleiwa, the tsunami is going to probably get trapped and ... be as high as six to eight feet.”;

Lines formed early this morning at service stations and markets with people trying to stock up on gas and supplies.

Boats were asked to evacuate state harbors but not to try to get underway too close to the first wave arrival time.

No evacuation centers had been designated early this morning but the American Red Cross was preparing to open shelters.

In Honolulu, the city closed all beach parks, golf courses and Honolulu zoo and the inundation zone along the coast was being closed at 10 a.m., said Acting Mayor Kirk Caldwell.

Visitors and residents of hotels and high-rise buildings along the coast were advised to move to the third floor or higher.

Charles “;Chip”; McCreery, director of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, urged residents to “;take this seriously.”;

Eight Pacific-wide tsunamis with wave heights of 10 feet or more hit the Hawaiian Islands from 1900 through 1964. A tsunami generated by a 9.5-magnitude earthquake off Chile in 1960 killed 61 people in Hilo.

Waves of up to 20 feet hit Hilo about 15 hours after the quake, according to a Pacific Tsunami Warning Center account by geophysicist Gerard Fryer.

That tsunami caused about 2,000 deaths in Chile and flooded Japan's coastline with 200 deaths from 10-foot waves. The Marquesas, Samoa and New Zealand also had tsunami damage.

The last tsunami evacuations in Hawaii were in 1994.

A tsunami is a series of waves generated by a sudden rise or fall of a section of the earth's crust. They can travel at speeds of more than 500 mph and, when approaching land, raise the sea level dramatically like a fast tide.

Residents are warned not to go to the beach to see tsunami waves, which could wash them away. And they shouldn't try to surf them because they're more powerful and dangerous than surfing waves.