HONOLULU, Hawaii (Island News) — As Tsunami Awareness Month comes to an end, the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program (Hawaii Sea Grant) released its 2025 Tsunami Preparedness Video, in hopes of preparing the state in the case of a natural disaster.
The 16-minute video, released in mid-April, was designed to put all tsunami awareness and preparedness information into one place. The video also covers how tsunamis are generated, different types and signs of a tsunami. It will also inform families on how to create a scientifically-based evacuation plan based on their evacuation zone.
“Tsunamis can occur anywhere, at any time, as there is no tsunami season,” said Laura Kong, director of NOAA’s International Tsunami Information Center. “Residents must always be prepared to take action.”
Tsunamis can generate quickly. In 1960, a 9.5 magnitude earthquake in Chile, the largest earthquake ever recorded, triggered 35-foot waves in Hilo. It took 15 to 16 hours to reach Hawaii’s shores. In 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the eastern coast of Honshu, Japan, triggered waves as high as 11 to 12 feet high off the coast of Kauai and Hawaii Island…