If you are located on the West Coast and have an emergency app on your smartphone, you probably received the warning about a tsunami watch triggered by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Kamchatka, Russia, on Tuesday.
For the Civil Air Patrol Hawaii Wing, the warning put its members on alert and sent them to standby aircraft already in place on the Big Island, Kauai, Oahu, and Maui.
According to the CAP Hawaii, on Tuesday at 3:51 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time, the incident was updated to a tsunami warning. The CAP launched four aircraft to fly predetermined coastal flight paths with a tsunami siren and loudspeaker.
“The planes are notifying the general public in vulnerable areas of the presently oncoming danger,” CAP Hawaii said in a news release. “Civil Air Patrol pilots broadcast the message ‘Tsunami Warning: Evacuate all low-lying areas until all clear is given.”
Waves over 5 feet high were reported in Hawaii, and officials warn that unpredictable surf conditions may continue throughout Wednesday.
The CAP Hawaii Wing is often called upon to assist local emergency agencies during natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and wildfires in addition to tsunamis.
The CAP was established in 1941 as a civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. A nonprofit organization, the group promotes aviation education and operates the world’s largest fleet of single-engine aircraft.
Hawaii wasn’t the only location facing a tsunami warning. Local media and federal agencies in Russia, Japan, Canada, Alaska, Oregon, Washington state, and California broadcast a warning about the potential tsunamis and urged people to head for higher ground. CNN reported nearly 2 million people were evacuated in Russia and Japan.
By dawn Wednesday the tsunami warnings were downgraded to a tsunami advisory, and there were no reports of damage or injury. However, state officials in Hawaii, Washington, California and Oregon have warned the public to stay away from the beach and low-lying areas, as tsunamis are more than high surf, as they also involve powerful columns of water stronger than normal surf.
