Sirens as Hawaii evacuates coast in tsunami alert

HONOLULU – Warning sirens went off as Hawaii scrambled to evacuate its coastline late Thursday after a massive earthquake off Japan triggered a tsunami warning extending across much of the Pacific Ocean.

The sirens sounded at 9:59 p.m. (0759 GMT Friday) and were to go off every hour on the hour afterwards. The first waves were expected to hit Hawaii around 2:55 am (1255 GMT).

“We have about four hours to clear the shorelines,” said John Cummings of the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management. “This looks like this will be a very serious event.”

Hawaii is some 4,000 miles east of the epicenter of Friday’s earthquake.

Authorities were arranging buses to evacuate residents and trying to open evacuation centers.

“All residents in tsunami evacuation zones as shown on evacuation maps … should evacuate immediately,” the emergency department said, referring to prepared maps of areas liable to flood.

“A tsunami warning has been issued for the state of Hawaii … a tsunami warning means a destructive series of tsunami waves has been confirmed by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center,” it added in a statement.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, based in Ewa Beach, west of Honolulu, issued a widespread warning extending across virtually the entire Pacific Ocean, including Australia, Antarctica and South America.

“A tsunami has been generated that could cause damage along coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii,” the center said. “Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property.”

Waves heights cannot be predicted, and the first wave may not be the largest, it said.

People scrambled to stock up on fuel, and arguments broke out as lines formed in front of gas stations, the Star Advertiser reported.

Local resident Jake Chang was filling up his truck and a plastic gas container to power his generator. “I was watching TV,” he told the newspaper. “I saw the footage of Japan. It was unreal.”