Though we haven’t gotten official confirmation, all signs point to this being a near miss for Maui and Hawaii. A representative with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin that it appears Hawaii “dodged a bullet.” Reports of roads opening in South and Central Maui were also coming in via Twitter.
A more complete analysis of the state and County response will be forthcoming, but initially it looks like the tsunami warning system was mostly effective, and that residents in affected areas heeded calls to get to higher ground in a safe and timely fashion. Updates on the Maui County site were less frequent than would be hoped, but overall info was plentiful, mostly through media and citizen journalist channels. That’s all good news, because even if this turns out to be much ado about a some churning water, we will face this threat again.
Meanwhile, tsunami activity was observed in California and Australia, but no major damage or deaths were reported. In Chile, where the quake hit, reports now indicate that more than 200 are dead, with that number expected to climb. The Red Cross is a good starting point for those who want updated info on how to help.
Keep checking the @mauitime Twitter feed and come back here for updates. Anyone who wants to report info about the tsunami can e-mail the Editor, jacob@mauitime.com.
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