Hawaii Tsunami Watch UPDATE: Tsunami Warning Lifted For Hawaii, They Seem To Have Escaped Serious Damage

Looks like the worst is over.

Hawaii appeared to escape any major tsunami unleashed by the giant earthquake off the coast of Chile, giving residents and tourists relief even as they remained on guard Saturday afternoon.

Tsunami surges of six to 12 inches in height hit the "Big Island" of Hawaii beginning at 11:38 a.m. local time, 34 minutes later than oceanographers previously forecast, said Bill Hanson, administrative officer with the Hawaii County Civil Defense.

Those were far lower than the waves of as high as 14 that feet some officials had predicted. Mr. Hanson said that while the tsunami threat was not entirely over, the fact that no large surges have hit so far means more destructive ones are less likely.

"It's not over until the fat lady sings, but it's a good sign so far," Mr. Hanson said.

Local media reportingg tsunami warning has been canceled for Hawaii.

Original post below the fold.

Dave In Texas sent this along, I'm going to give it a shot.

This is the local station that CNN is/was running.

UPDATE [Dave]: I got the vid tip from Andrew Levy on Twitter.

Hilo Bay camera. Water rushing in and out.

It seems a little ghoulish but the projected impact time of the tsunami is coming up soon, a little after 4pm eastern time (11am Hawaii time).

Based on tv reports they are saying the wave could be anywhere between 1.5-7 feet. It may not sound like a lot but it's not the same as a breaker wave you might see people surfing on but rather a lifting of the entire sea level. A lot depends on local considerations such as shore line (bay v. long beach for example), the underwater topography. and the ground behind the beach.

Fortunately there's been plenty of warning time (in Hawaii at least) so people should be out of the danger areas. The US Pacific Fleet has scrambled several ships based at Pearl Harbor as a precaution.

Good luck to all the folks in Hawaii and if anyone can find a live and embedable feed from Hawaii, let me know.

posted by DrewM. at 03:51 PM

| Access Comments