Story by
Grace Hew Len
Navy Region Hawaii Environmental Public Affairs Officer

Photo by
MC2 (SW) Mark Logico

The call came at about 1 a.m. early Saturday morning for port operations officer Lt. j.g. Gildaniel McKethan. He heard the words "emergency" and "tsunami" and raced immediately to the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Emergency Operations Center (EOC) where he would spend the next 13 hours preparing for a possible tsunami threat to the Hawaiian Islands.

At 12:46 a.m. on Feb. 28, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for the state of Hawaii, following an 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the coast of central Chile in one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded. The warning signaled that a tsunami was generated that could cause damage to all coastlines along the Hawaiian Islands.

"I felt a sense of urgency to get the ball rolling early," he said. "I needed to get fully engaged." That he did. Well before daybreak, other members of the emergency management team, security, fleet and family support, public affairs, and other support staff poured into the installation and regional emergency operations centers quickly and methodically to respond to a tsunami warning alert that tested the emergency response plans of agencies throughout the state of Hawaii.

Before the emergency sirens rang islandwide at 6 a.m., McKethan was ready with his plans to protect the harbor and the Navy vessels in port. Emergency response drills and training sunk in, and he felt confident to execute a plan that involved the sortie of Pearl Harbor-based ships, USS Crommelin, USS O'Kane, USS Chafee and USS Chung-Hoon, and four smaller vessels that were in the harbor. As a precautionary measure, the Navy orders ships to go underway to avoid potential damage to ships and piers from anticipated high tidal surges.

In a tsunami warning, evacuations will be ordered for areas in designated inundation zones and along beaches and shorelines. At Pearl Harbor, evacuations took place at Hospital Point, a small housing community located near the mouth of the harbor, as well as Iroquois Lagoon, White Plains and Nimitz Beach cottages, and Rainbow Bay Marina.

Pearl Harbor is a protected harbor and high tidal waves diminish as they begin to enter the harbor, protecting Ford Island, which is 10 to 15 feet above sea level at different parts of the island. Ford Island residents remained safe during the tsunami warning, and the bridge was closed as a precautionary measure in the event tidal surges could affect the integrity of the bridge.

Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) plays a key role in an emergency, providing assistance to military personnel and their families affected during disasters. FFSC activated its family assistance center to provide on-site support to families affected by an evacuation, and stood up a telephone hotline manned by trained personnel to provide information or counseling to Navy families.

According to FFSC work and family life supervisor Verdi Fujimori, her family information center staff received more than 150 calls during the course of the tsunami warning.

"The staff performed well in carrying out their duties," said Fujimori. "While no significant damage happened, the alert helped us gain experience to be prepared when it happens again."

For Navy Region Hawaii's public affairs staff, getting out emergency public information quickly and accurately to Navy personnel and their families can be challenging. Using social media, like Facebook and Twitter, solved those issues and brings another exciting dimension to information dissemination. "This is the first time Navy Region Hawaii used Facebook in a real-life emergency situation and it proved to be extremely effective," said Agnes Tauyan, director of Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs.

Posts addressing evacuations, closures and special instructions for Navy families provided Facebook and Twitter followers with the latest, most up-to-date information as well as the ability to comment and ask questions, which were answered quickly by public affairs staff or EOC personnel. Navy Region Hawaii's Facebook page was linked up to numerous local and national news organization Web sites. As a result, the number of Navy Region Hawaii's Facebook fans surged more than 180 percent, from 450 before the tsunami event to nearly 1,300 and rising.

As the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam emergency management officer, Dan Dubois tackled the lively task of coordinating with the various departments to ensure his tsunami checklists were met. "We had never done a formal tsunami exercise before, but the EOC came together to deal with a myriad of issues and accomplished great things," Dubois said.

The Pacific Tsumani Warning Center cancelled the tsunami warning by 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon, prompting the Navy to call back the ships and resume operations at the installation. While the state dodged serious damage, the installation and region emergency operations center felt confident in their emergency management plans and well prepared for future emergencies.

Emergency reminders

• Stay tuned to local news, radio stations and official social media outlets for announcements and updates.

• Evacuate if advised or ordered to do so.

• Return to the evacuated areas only after an "all clear" is issued.

• Keep telephone and communications lines open for emergencies.

• Stay away from the beach and coastline areas.

• Have your evacuation kit and emergency supplies ready.