Tsunami vs. Perspective

Woke up around 1am to a text message that there was a tsunami warning for our coast. Living a block up from the bay means we heed the warnings. I woke my husband to tell him about the warning, and the tsunami wasn't due to hit until around 7am. I climbed in bed and finally nodded off.

At around 3:30 a.m., the tsunami alarm started going off waking my husband. I was so groggy. I just couldn't quite get up. We've had these warnings several times in the years, and so I wasn't in a huge hurry at that moment. My husband went downstairs and started gathering things to pack up like food, water, blankets, etc. Sometime around 4am, the alarm went off again but with more intensity it seemed. I got up and went downstairs and slowly managed to start getting ready.

I wanted to see how Hawai'i would be affected first before we made any sudden moves in the middle of the night to wake the boys and head inland. So we had coffee and watched a live feed of the waves on Waikiki Beach. It was really interesting to see the surges hit the beach over and over...every 15-20 minutes. At around 6:30 a.m., the boys woke up and came downstairs. They got brushed and had some breakfast.

It was at that point, we had to decide what we were going to do. We decided to stay home and watch the water from our living room. We are up on an incline and are "technically" just out of the tsunami evacuation area (by like 10 feet according to the map). We had everything ready at the front door, the mini van filled and aimed at the road, and then sat and watched the water.

Sometime after 7:30 (I think), we noticed that the water was receding. We looked at the tides, and we were due for the tide to start heading out. We thought that it was just the tide. Suddenly, however, water started rushing quickly back up the beach and up to the shore edge. It was small but amazing to witness knowing this was the tsunami.

We are a few miles from our bar and harbor, so the water had to travel some distance up our waterway to get to us. We heard reports that the docks and pilings at the harbor had suffered some damage. A second wave was in store for us, but it never seemed to materialize like the first.

Our local city officials announced that it was safe to return to homes, so I headed to work. By the time I reached work, they had rescinded the "All Clear" message. So I spent a great deal of time watching webcams and following twitter to keep a careful eye on my family from afar (well, only a mile...so not too dramatic).

As the day progressed, we heard of the reports just south of us in Crescent City, California and even some cities that are closer. People swept out, boats destroyed, docks demolished. Incredible stuff. Lots of damage. Lots of money.

Here are a couple links:
Crescent City Tsunami, 2011
Tsunami Destroys Crescent City's Docks

Now we're safe and sound at home thank goodness. My eyes are begging to be put to bed. Been up far too long.

I took this image after work where we watched the tsunami this morning. I was actually hoping this big stump might have made a move with all that water. The beach was covered with glass of all kinds, which was really interesting. I was also surprised there wasn't more debris laying around.

My thoughts are with all the people in Japan. I especially hope my friend Jennifer and her son Ryan are safe and sound. A trip to Japan they'll never forget I'm sure. Moments like this really do put your life in perspective, and it's so much different when you have children.

P.S. Apologies for any typos. I'm too tired to proof tonight.