Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

[alohabear]

With all the talk in the news about Tsunamis and our annual Hurricane season coming soon, I got to thinking...Is an island with a large population like O'ahu really ready for a natural disaster?

It was reported that if a tsunami is coming we will get a 3 hour warning. I can remember a few years back when the state got one ( I think the actual wave was 3inches), we here in Hilo were jammed up ,but civil defence had the Bayfront area closed in about a couple hours. Hilo has only a small percentage of the coastal population of O'ahu..How did you folks do?

I worry because the State is run from O'ahu and the whole State would shut down for weeks is a Tsunami or major Hurricane were to hit.

Aloha

[1stwahine]

Re: Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

I saw this thread this morning. It bothered me. I asked someone if he thought we were ready and I was more bothered. Think about it, Hickim AFB, Pearl Harbor, Kaneohe Marine Base all by water. Three hours advance notice to get all the airplanes and whatevas out of there? What about the Homeless at IHS, River of Life, under bridges as Nimitz Hwy. What Plan does the Federal, State and County have in place for any major thing from happening. Yes, lives will be lost. I'd like to believe that we have enough time to prepare for anything but the fact is we may not. All the computers, technologies and experts combined can not guarantee that our Hawai'i is safe or ready for a disaster of any size to hit, be it by GOD, Mother Nature or heaven help us, Terrorrists! Are we safe? I think not...

[pzarquon]

Re: Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

For dense metro areas like Waikiki and downtown, there have been modifications to the official evacuation plan that allow for folks to go up, rather than inland. That is, find the most bunker-like concrete building, and get inside, higher than the fourth or so floor.

Considering the gridlock we saw the last time we tried an inland-only evacuation, hopefully this will work better.

Three hours is a lot of time. Maybe not to remove large ships, but to move people? Sure. Had the folks around the Indian Ocean had that kind of warning, the numbers would be very different from the ones we've got. Of course, three hours is a lot more warning than we'd get if a local seismic event generated a tsunami... like, say, the whole southeast edge of the Big Island suddenly breaking off.

[helen]

Re: Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

Considering the death tolls on the last two hurricanes to hit the state was very low I think when it comes to hurricanes given that we have a day or two to prepare for one I think overall we are okay when it comes to getting the word out.

For tsunami I think if the warning came most people now would be smart enough to heed the warning and go to higher ground instead of heading toward the ocean to see the big wave coming.

My biggest fear is the aftermath of the disaster, clean up, restoring electrical power, rebuilding washed out roads, that is going take time.

[pzarquon]

Re: Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

For tsunami I think if the warning came most people now would be smart enough to heed the warning and go to higher ground instead of heading toward the ocean to see the big wave coming.

Well, I wouldn't be too sure about that. The last two tsunami warnings I remember - one when I was a kid, once when I was living on the Big Island - there were definitely morons who were headed toward the ocean while others fled inland. Whether they wanted to see the show, get some great video, catch the biggest wave of their lives, I don't know. I just figured, "Darwin's theory in action."

My biggest fear is the aftermath of the disaster, clean up, restoring electrical power, rebuilding washed out roads, that is going take time.

True, it'll be a mess. We have so much infrastructure near shore and under ground that things will be out of commission for months. But, they will be replaced. Can't say the same thing for people.

[zztype]

Re: Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

Notice that our electric power plants all sit right at the water's edge? Downtown on the harbor front, Pearl City on the edge of Pearl Harbor, Kahe Point across the beach from "Tracks" surf spot.

And the big generators in those plants all at ground level. They're too big to be anywhere but. Tsunami not goin' take out da generators, but all the infrastructure around them goin' be trashed. Trashed.

If get fo' real tsunami, we not goin' smell nuttin' electric for a while, other than the scattered Honda gas generator or battery-kine stuffs. Oh, yeah, and da solar cell AM radios.

And the phone system? Pfffft!

"Perry and Price here on KSSK. Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear us? If you can hear the sound of my voice, be the first caller at 259-5959 and we'll give you a free four-pack of Duracell D-size alkaline batteries and one liter of pure drinking water!"

[helen]

Re: Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

Well, I wouldn't be too sure about that. The last two tsunami warnings I remember - one when I was a kid, once when I was living on the Big Island - there were definitely morons who were headed toward the ocean while others fled inland. Whether they wanted to see the show, get some great video, catch the biggest wave of their lives, I don't know. I just figured, "Darwin's theory in action."

I would agree with you if this was before the Indian Ocean tsunami. I don't think most people here had any experience with the effect of a tsunami making landfall. We got lucky that the last two tsunami events generated very low wave heights and the locally produced one in 1975 while it killed a couple of people on the Big Island didn't cause any damage to the rest of the state.

I think with the images that were shown from the Indian Ocean tsunami at least now for the rest of us would seek higher ground should a tsunami warning be issued. Granted there will be some that will try to see it, but hopefully it will be a smaller number. I guess we would know if people get the message if the TV news reporters are not close to the ocean reporting that a tsunami is coming in.

[1stwahine]

Re: Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

I scared already. I'm turning in my new washer for a generator. NOT!
Whatever happens, happens. We are Americans. We will deal with it come High or Low waters!

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

If get fo' real tsunami, we not goin' smell nuttin' electric for a while, other than the scattered Honda gas generator or battery-kine stuffs. Oh, yeah, and da solar cell AM radios.

I have a feeling we'd get power back sooner than that, even if the power plants got trashed. Remember back in '82 when 'Iwa hit Kaua'i? I seem to recall that the Navy sent one of their nuclear subs to hook up to the Kaua'i grid and pump power in. One sub, powering the whole island. That's a lotta juice.

[helen]

Re: Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

From what I remember of the time, the Navy offered the use of the sub's power to help start the island's power plants but the mayor at the time said no due to some County rule that prevents the use of nuclear power on the island.

[1stwahine]

Re: Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

That was in 1982. I can just imagine how much "juice" dem sub's get now. Now I moa scared...not of what nature can do but of wat the "juice" can accidently cause. eh? Wasn't dea a movie called Red sumthing lil'dat regarding a nuclear sub dat wuz goin nuke Oahu? Spooky!

I'm taking an Ambien.

See you all tomarrows! Goodnight and sleep tight!

[helen]

Re: Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

I'm no super duper expert on submarine movies but it's a genre that I watch, anyway, there was the movie The Hunt for the Red October which never involved Oahu at all, much less the Pacific Ocean since all the action took place in the Atlantic Ocean. The other movie that might come close is Crimson Tide but Oahu was where the sub's home base was not the target of it's missiles.

The sub in question that came to Kauai after Iwa hit was the USS Indianapolis which while is a nuclear power sub it does not carry nuclear missiles (one of it's functions is to hunt other subs that carry nuclear missiles).

[1stwahine]

Re: Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

Ambien not taking effect yet. I know I saw a picture that had sumthing regarding nuclear topedos that wuz directed to Oahu. The actor in it was the Martial Arts one, Steven Segal. I ain't gonna sleep if this bothers me. nah, I can. Tomarrow I go through the VHS tapes I have. I'm sure I have it.

As for the information on the nuclear subs, thanks Helen. I can sleep much better! I'm a big scaredy cat...the movie on tv about the sharks junk...so hopefully my meds work.

Once again, goodnight. I love you all!

Auntie Lynn

[alohabear]

Re: Is O'ahu ready for disaster?

Well... on Friday we all get to see if the state is ready for a tsunami..eh, during the drill are they closing any roads for 3 hours?