Coast Guard Assists with Hawaii Tsunami Threat

Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Cohen Young | Ships move back into Honolulu Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii after having been evacuated the night before due to the after affects of an earthquake in Japan which was measured at 8.9 on the Richter Scale.  

HONOLULU, HI, UNITED STATES

03.11.2011

Story by Master Sgt. Cohen Young 

DMA Pacific - Hawaii Media Bureau   

The U.S. Coast Guard reopened Honolulu Harbor here March 11 after being closed for tsunami warnings as a result of the fallout of the magnitude-8.9 earthquake in Japan the night before.

Coast Guard personnel worked with local authorities to clean up the shores around Hawaii after tsunami waves came inland as a result of the earthquake outside Tokyo.

“Upon hearing that there was a tsunami alert, we closed all the ports and waited for the tsunami to roll though and we then assessed it and prepared to reopen ports,” said Cmdr. Jason Newbauer, the Prevention Chief for Sector Honolulu.

Newbauer’s section is responsible for overseeing commercial inspections and water waste management; therefore when there is a crisis, they are the ones to respond.

After the “all clear” signal was given, the ports and recreational harbors were assessed for damage, according to Neubauer.

The Coast Guard focused on the maritime community and general public, setting up an incident command post in order to stay in contact with the police and the local pilots in order to confirm that the debris was gone and things were safe.

“Willy Harbor in Kauai was opened recently and after the various depths have been verified the Honolulu Harbor, which was a priority, will be opened next,” said Commander Newbauer.

Hawaii experienced a tsunami last year at this time due to a similar incident, but had more than 10 hours to get ready. This event presented some different challenges.

“We had to evacuate areas in a night time environment, which was more challenging than before, but it went very smoothly and our Hawaiian partners were great,” said Newubauer.

The Coast Guard worked with the Department of Transportation, Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Honolulu Police Department in evacuating the harbors.

“This tsunami event is something that the USCG and out partners prepare for every day and we were ready,” said the commander.

• Date Taken: 03.11.2011
• Date Posted: 03.11.2011 22:04
• Story ID: 66900
• Location: HONOLULU, HI, US