By DEVIN DWYER
Feb. 27, 2010
Hawaii is bracing for a potential tsunami in the wake of Chile's early morning earthquake, sounding alarms to evacuate coastal areas for the first time in 16 years.
A shopper pushes a cart full of emergency supplies at Safeway grocery store early Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, in Honolulu. Hawaii braced Saturday for a tsunami, after a massive earthquake off Chile sent waves across the Pacific Ocean.
(Marco Garcia/AP Photo)
Civil defense sirens blared in each county of Hawaii starting at 6 a.m. Hawaiian time as residents and tourists calmly began leaving their coastline homes and resorts and moving to higher ground.
Grocery stores faced a crush of residents eager to stock up on food, water and batteries. Long lines of cars snaked through many islands' streets near gas stations as drivers filled their tanks.
Red Cross officials are urging people to gather food and supplies to remain self-sufficient for at least three days.
"We've got a lot of things going for us," Charles McCreery, director of the center, told The Associated Press. "We have a reasonable lead time. The evacuation should all take place during daylight hours, and wave impact should be during daylight hours."
The first wave is expected to hit the Big Island by 11:19 a.m. local time, 4:19 p.m. ET. The wave will then move north to the other islands.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning -- its highest alert -- early Saturday morning, warning of damage along the shores of all islands in the state.
(Marco Garcia/AP Photo)
Civil defense sirens blared in each county of Hawaii starting at 6 a.m. Hawaiian time as residents and tourists calmly began leaving their coastline homes and resorts and moving to higher ground.
Grocery stores faced a crush of residents eager to stock up on food, water and batteries. Long lines of cars snaked through many islands' streets near gas stations as drivers filled their tanks.
Red Cross officials are urging people to gather food and supplies to remain self-sufficient for at least three days.
"We've got a lot of things going for us," Charles McCreery, director of the center, told The Associated Press. "We have a reasonable lead time. The evacuation should all take place during daylight hours, and wave impact should be during daylight hours."
The first wave is expected to hit the Big Island by 11:19 a.m. local time, 4:19 p.m. ET. The wave will then move north to the other islands.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning -- its highest alert -- early Saturday morning, warning of damage along the shores of all islands in the state.
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Read More @ http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Chile_Earthquake/tsunami-warning-hawaii-islands-brace-waves-hit/story?id=9964404
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