1986 - Hawaii tsunami evacuation

Martins Kid

[Martins kid]

In May 1986 the Islands of Hawaii had a tsunami alarm and evacuation. It turned out to be a false alarm but gliches in the warning system

[Martins kid]

I was in Honolulu when the tsunami sirens went off around 2:30 int he afternoon. All coastal areas had 2 1/2 hours until a "predicted" 60 foot wave would hit. Traffic was at an immediate stand still. Most in vulnerable low areas made it to the hills to watch, but many were still sitting in traffic jams when it was predicted to hit. It did not. It was a miscalibration and turned out to be only 6 inches. We were lucky. Hawaii learned much from that day. I hope new guidelines are in place.

[MudPuppy]

I was stationed at Kaneohe when that happened.
We went to a friends house in Kailua and prepared by starting a Tsunami party and climbing the hill overlooking the base. We were sorely disappointed when nothing happened...and we had to go to work the next day with a tsunami hangover....

[FReepaholic]

...It was a miscalibration and turned out to be only 6 inches....

I bet a bunch of women could relate to that.

[RaceBannon]

WOW, we had a major storm in 80, my squadron flew man hours putting up the power and phone lines over the crater by the LikeLike

My Dad in Connecticut said they heard on the news how badit was, for it to be national, I guess it was bigger than it felt. We just stayed inside and drank

[MudPuppy]

I remember a rain storm so bad most of Kaneohe flooded. Valentines Day in 1985 (or there about).
Friend of mine had to come down to the hanger in his Isuzu pup truck to get me - because it was diesel it made it through the door high water.....and then we celebrated with a "Flood Party".
hmmmm....seems like there was always a reason to celebrate then ;)

[tuckrdout]

I think we had a Tsunami warning about the same time, in Washington State. The coast line was evacuated, news crews made their way to the beaches, to report.....a large wave! Nothing happend. But, the system worked, and it was very good practice.

[RaceBannon]

MACS-2 was right on the water, we celebrated lunch time by body-surfing! :)

Phone watch over lunch time was spent on a cot sunbathing with a long extension cord!!

Ahh, the Air Wing!

[MudPuppy]

ahhh yes.

Not to forget playing Liars Poker at Primo Pier and getting "Bay qual'd".
Water ski-ing over the sharks in Kaneohe Bay...
The keggers had behind the hanger after a PFT or on a Friday...
Beer Gardens at the barracks....
crawling back from the E club....sleeping in the dug out at the baseball field....
Playing Volley Ball with Tom Selleck and looking for that red ferrari around the island...

The "Old Corps".....
Semper Fi!

[MarineBrat]

I was born in Hawaii in 1959. My father (MarineDad if he were alive and posting) was stationed at Kaneohe. Our on-base housing was about 1/4 mile from the surf. Mom always told me stories about tidal wave warnings when she'd have to wrangle up 5 kids and a bunch of SPAM and Velveeta and head up into the hills to spend the night in the station wagon.

That's the view of the surf from our yard in May of 1960. I couldn't imagine what it would have been like had we been hit by the likes of what happened in the Indian Ocean.

[surrey]

We were on a business/pleasure trip to Maui. We had to evacuate our hotel ,on Kaanapali Beach, and head for the hills. My son who was 11 at the time thought it was the coolest thing that could happen. Just the other day I found a T-shirt we bought, the very next day, which reads"I SURVIVED THE TSUNAMI OF 86".

[Martins kid]

I remember a rather scary day. My Navy husband was deployed, of course. It took me nearly two hours go get home from Honolulu to where we lived on base on the water. I passed our kids on the way onto the base. They yelled that they left a note on the door for me. I had to beg security to let me go to our quarters to get that note. I dumped out the laundry and filled the baskets with photo albums. Then I grabbed the parakeet, the kids favorite stuffed animals, and the dress I had bought to welcome my husband home two days later. Drove like a bat until I ran into a long line of traffic just sitting still. As the time approached cars went off road and began to take the red clay sugarcane roads to higher places. From a hill I could see the ships that had left Pearl and a row of sailboats sitting about half a mile to sea and a row of crazy surfers along the break waiting for the Big One. I got my telephoto lens on the camera just in time to not take a photo. So thankful there was nothing to photograph. I couldn't find the kids until 8 that night. We stayed with friends on the hill until they let us move back into housing.