Healy-Guttman Blog

…so I survived the great Tsunami of 2010…  Well, maybe not so “great” as it was “exciting”.  As it turns out, the event wasn’t anywhere near the impact of the big one in 1960 generated by another earthquake from Chile.  …and that’s OK – everyone stayed dry and the Islands breathed a collective sigh of relief. 

 

I immediately got online to find the news and sure enough Chile had been rocked by a severe 8.8 earthquake and a tsunami was rolling our way at the speed of a jetliner.  Although the severity of a tsunami is very difficult for scientists to predict, they were expecting a 12’ surge.  …not a 12’ wave like we are used to hear (big, but not that big), but a surge.  In other words add 12’ to the level of the ocean at that moment, throw in some speed and momentum and you get the picture.  This had the potential of reaching the Love Shack.

 

I scrolled through some information and found a great article on the “big one” in 1960.  For those interested, it’s a great read and you can see why I was now wide awake and taking this very seriously.  See:  http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/c1187/  - “Surviving a Tsunami—Lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan”

 

Around 5:45 AM, Suzy and Cameron drove up to the Love Shack.  It was still dark (sunrise was 7 AM).  We made sure that all of our neighbors were aware and all of us discussed our plans.  Cameron and Suzy were heading up to the local church which is a designated place for such an event.  We still had until around 11 AM before the tsunami hit, but they figured they should get settled in up there.  Their house is one of the most vulnerable in our small village here at Kealakekua Bay behind Manini Beach.  Friend and neighbor David was going to head up to be with his boys at their shop on the highway.  I was undecided but thinking I would hang out on his lanai and stay in the village.  I figured I would be safe up there and wanted to stay close to the “action”. 

 

The sun came up, I took a shower, ate some breakfast – it was all surreal as we still had quite a bit of time thanks to modern technology and an accurate prediction as to the tsunami’s arrival.  I packed some things into “Crusty” our trusty 4Runner in case I changed my mind and went for higher ground.  My ukulele, laptop, change of clothes and a 5^th of tequila.  I was set!  The local tsunami alert system – a really LOUD series of sirens up and down the coast – were going off every 30 minutes just in case you weren’t aware of what was happening.  This added a bit of tension and seriousness to what was about to come.

 

Around 9:30 AM, a police car came through our village encouraging everyone to evacuate and warning that there would be a barricade up Napo’opo’o Road so no one could get in and out of our village after 10 AM.  …decision time…  I decided to go to a friends house up the hill but before the barricade.  They were away on mainland, but I called them on my mobile, asked if I could hang out in there backyard for a few hours (no problem!) and headed up the hill with my sparse load of “survival gear”.

 

The view from the backyard looking down on Kealakekua Bay: 

 

 

And South towards Ke’ei Beach:

 

 

 

The backyard of this beautiful home was warm with a nice breeze and I really wanted to take a nap, but didn’t want to miss the “show”.  Around 11 AM, you could feel everything come to a standstill – all the normal noises you hear simply stopped – it was like everyone was holding their breath.

 

If you draw a direct line from Chile to the Big Island of Hawaii, Hilo would be taking the most direct hit.  However, there is a “wrap around” effect, so the surge would wrap around the South end of the island and hit our bay as well.  Around 11:15, the first signs of the surge became apparent looking down at Ke’ei and the point.  Although it was a ways away and there was considerable haziness from the vog, you could see the white frothiness of the water signaling the coming surge.  Shortly afterwards, you could see the surge hit the bay and Manini Beach.  I know Manini Beach very well, so stared intently for signs that the water was rising to a point where it would head across the beach and pose a danger to some of the houses ringing the bay.  …but it didn’t….  After 45 minutes, I decided that this tsunami was not as big as some of the more dire predictions so I jumped in Crusty and headed back down the hill to the Love Shack.

 

After reading the “Lessons Learned” article referenced above, I knew this was not over and we could still get some even larger surges an hour or two after the first wave, however, even if it got twice as large, our little shack would be fine.  After arriving back at the shack and not seeing one soul in the village I started to second guess my “wisdom”, but my intuition and observations of what had occurred so far told me I was safe.  I grabbed my camera and headed around the corner to Manini Beach just half a block away.  The beach was dry and the water had not crested onto the beach.  After a quick survey I looked out at the bay and had one of those “Oh Sh#@!” moments as I noticed the water level was lower than I had ever seen it.  I knew what was coming.  I jumped up on this wall:

 

 

 

As the water rushed back into the bay it created ripples like a river.  I debated running and thought I might be one of those victims that lingers too long transfixed by the power of nature.  …but again, I trusted my intuition and there wasn’t a “wall of water”.  As the water went from low to high, a surge came in and wrapped around the bay.  The power was immense and as the water flowed around to Manini, there was a rushing sound like a freight train and the water crested onto the beach and in a few waves created quite a pond of water that flowed like a small stream in either direction.  Some photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sure, many of you will think I was a fool for staying – but I didn’t feel in any danger and just being there was an incredible feeling and simply an amazing experience.  The power of this earthquake 3000+ miles away was unfathomable.  I watched the bay empty again – not quite as much as the first time.  It took about 3 minutes.  The water rippled as it flowed out of the bay.  Then the process of refilling started again and I stared intently out West to make sure I wasn’t going to be surprised by a huge wall of water.  Again, the water rose to way above the high tide mark and a series of waves sent thousands of more gallons of saltwater up onto the beach.  I kept my position on the one side of the beach where I could easily “exit stage left” should that become necessary.  The water flowed towards me but by the time it hit the entrance of the beach it ran out of steam and lazily pooled just a few feet from where I stood.

 

Here are two photos taken within minutes of each other.  By the time I came back to reality and thought about taking photos, the surging in and out of the bay was not as extreme, but you will get the idea:

 

The bay empties:

 

 

A few minutes later:

 

 

At this point, I called Suzanne and Bo to tell them things were quieting down and that thankfully there wasn’t any damage in the bay – but that there would be a little cleanup necessary on Manini.  They had been following the news and I was told that Hilo was OK as well. 

 

I called cousin Cameron and suggested it was safe to come on down from the church and they should check out the beach.  They showed up shortly afterwards and we walked up and down the beach in amazement.  Even in the most severe storms we have had, never had the water gotten this high.  …and of course there was a Kodak moment:

 

 

 

By now it was 2 PM and we decided to head up the hill to have some lunch at a local café a few miles away.  We got to the police barricade just as they were opening it back up – what timing!  Several friends were there waiting to get back into the village and everyone looked relieved. 

 

At lunch, we reflected on what a great job Hawaii has done with tsunami warning system, the procedures that had been put in place for evacuation worked flawlessly, everyone seemed to stay calm and the Aloha spirit had prevailed once again.  It is paradise here but the islands are also vulnerable in their isolation.  We were thankful that it was a low tide at the time it hit and that it didn’t turn out to be 12′ (probably more like 6′).  All was well and we quickly moved back into our routines.  ….life in paradise…