Hi Jennice,
We are fine. We evacuated, just as we did in Feb of last year with a Chilean? earthquake which badly damaged Samoa. Then there were really no effects in Hawaii.
But, this time, we received 6 to 8 ft waves in many locations, the major damages seem to be to small boats, their berths and piers, and moorages. Maybe some other isolated and minor damage. I have not heard of any injuries/lose of life.
For us, with two vans, we load them up with my most needed stuff (computers, active project files, tax records, gps field equipment, ham radio stuff, insurance, bank info, a few clothes) and Charlene's most needed stuff (computers, back up drives, project files, clothes, mementos), maybe some blankets and pillows.
All on the assumption that the house will be destroyed, nothing left, and we have to move into a hotel or friend's house, or leave depending on just how bad it is.
Because I am fixing up the house in preparation to selling it, and we have a lot of stuff we need to rid ourselves of, each of us had a secret thought, which we eventually shared, that wow, we might just get rid of the nagging problem of fixing the house and getting rid of our stuff if a tsunami wiped us out!!!!! how simple!!! Sit back in a hotel, all wiped off the face of the earth, collect the insurance, and party on!!!
We heard the news around 10:30PM, just as we were getting ready for bed (we were tired, we usually get up by 5AM), so started packing up the cars. We left the house at midnight and at that time the estimated arrival of the tsunami was 3AM. Charlene wanted to head for high ground, overlooks, so we could see the waves come and destroy everything. I wanted to go to Kailua District Park where we could park our cars, have a bathroom handy, and sleep. So first we went to the overlooks, and it was very dark, no moon, I don't think you could see the ocean, but you could see the lights along the ocean and I guess if the tsunami had put all those out you would have seen the lights go out! We ended up in the park and sleep in my Astro van, I in the middle seat, Charlene in the back seat, pretty comfortable actually, it rained off and on and was cool and pleasant, except for the constant noise of sirens and loudspeakers issuing warnings to evacuate!!!
At 3:30AM, I was asleep, maybe we both were,finally so when the tsunami hit us I never knew it. I think I woke around 4:30AM, listed to the radio a little and was not hearing major damages to Hawaii or any of the Pacific islands, only Japan. I went back to sleep and we both slept hard until around 6:30AM, woke up, and all the cars which had shared the parking lot at Kailua District Park were gone!! We had slept through the whole event!!
As a treat, before heading home, we went to McDonalds for breakfast where we watched television and begin to see images of and hear words about what had been going on. Nothing too bad, so we headed home and unloaded some of our things from the cars, then went to the ocean near us, around 8:30 or 9AM, and at that time the ocean would rise up about 1 foot then recede, then rise up again, these were not waves, but sort of swellings/upliftings of the water and this went on for an hour or so which was as long as we stayed at the shore. We watched some boaters retrieve two overturned small boats which had grounded on the reef at the location we call "turtle beach" (a place where we often see green sea turtles).
So, I have been through two tsunami evacuations in this last year, the only ones since I moved here in 1968.
I have been through two major hurricanes here and several in the Marianas.
I have been through shipping strikes.
I have been through power outages and earthquakes, no power for several days.
I believe that these events, which have impacted all others living in these places as well as myself, have instilled a willingness to live together is reasonably good humor and with mutual respect, without the vituperation and hatred that we seem to experience via the news.
I have a better life here than I would have had elsewhere, and my dear wife and my family are the best!!!
Thus I celebrate this March 11, 2011, my 69th birthday, my father's death anniversary, and my 43rd year in Hawaii.
Gene
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