Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency

For Immediate Release
November 5, 2020

HAWAII EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
REMINDS PUBLIC OF WORLD TSUNAMI AWARENESS DAY

HONOLULU — Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) would like to take this time to remind the public that today is World Tsunami Awareness Day.

The United Nations General Assembly designated each annual fifth of November as World Tsunami Awareness Day, calling on countries, international bodies and civil society to raise tsunami awareness and share innovative approaches to risk reduction. This was in response to the frequent and devastating damage sustained repeatedly by Japan due to life-threatening tsunamis.

“Just last month a tsunami advisory was issued for our own islands,” said HI-EMA Administrator, Luke Meyers. “This is a stark reminder that tsunamis can happen at any time and the waves can move at dangerously fast speeds. Hawaii must remain vigilant.”

In the event there is a tsunami warning issued from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, residents can prepare by always having their 14-day emergency kits ready, which should now include face masks and hand sanitizer due to the pandemic.
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The public is also encouraged to sign up for Wireless Emergency Alert applications which deliver sound-and-text warnings to compatible mobile cellular phones. Check with your local county emergency management agency for the right app for your island.

If residents live in low-lying areas, or inundation zones, they should be prepared to evacuate to shelters or higher ground.

Please visit ready.hawaii.gov to learn if you are in an inundation zone as well as other ways to prepare for a disaster.

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