| ATTENTION: These tsunami evacuation zone maps are identical to those
located in the front section of your phone book.* They are based on data from tsunamis that have
hit Hawai'i in the past and represent the best information available at this time.
The University of Hawai'i, under direction of State Civil Defense with funding from
the NOAA National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program, is currently using the latest
scientific techniques and technology to improve this information. Once complete,
county governments will be able to update their tsunami evacuation zones, if necessary.
The tsunami evacuation maps available in phone books statewide are also available from the Pacific Disaster Center. *Kaua'i Civil Defense Agency recommends evacuation above the 100-foot elevation, as shown in these maps. |
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Important Map Notes
When evacuation boundaries are drawn along streets and roadways, they are considered to be safe from wave action. Steel and/or concrete buildings of six or more stories in height should provide adequate protection if people move to the third floor or above. Hawaii County Residents Click Here Due to the probability of strong currents and wave action all vessels should be secured, removed, or put to sea. The maximum rise of water in harbors should not exceed four feet. Accordingly, the immediate shoreline and beach areas should be evacuated. All vessels should be secured, removed, or put to sea due to the probability of strong horizontal currents, surges, and wave action. |
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Tsunami Evacuation Zones ( Metadata) |
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You cannot prevent a tsunami but you can be prepared for one. Actions you take now
could save your life and the lives of your friends and family in an emergency.
Develop a Family Emergency Plan
Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance.
Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance.
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How you will contact one another? |
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How you will get back together? |
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What you will do in different situations? |
Developing a family emergency plan will provide your family with information that could save lives and protect property.
| Make a Family Emergency Plan |
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| Emergency Preparedness Checklist |
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Assemble an Emergency Preparedness Kit
Emergency preparedness kits should contain the essentials your family needs to survive during a disaster. It may take 72 hours or more for emergency personnel to reach you. Don’t wait, hundreds of other families in your area share the same concerns, and it will be difficult to get access to the necessities you need due to shortages and competition.
Emergency preparedness kits should contain the essentials your family needs to survive during a disaster. It may take 72 hours or more for emergency personnel to reach you. Don’t wait, hundreds of other families in your area share the same concerns, and it will be difficult to get access to the necessities you need due to shortages and competition.
| Recommendations For Disaster Preparedness Kit |
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| Emergency Preparedness Kit Checklist |
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Plan for Evacuation
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If you live or work in a tsunami evacuation zone identify an evacuation route from your home or workplace. Identify a safe area outside the evacuation zone where you and others can safely congregate. |
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After an earthquake, roads may become impassable or blocked so be prepared to evacuate by foot if necessary. Once you know your route develop the plan to evacuate. Consider securing your property, collecting pets, turning off the electricity and water, and bringing essential documents and emergency supplies. |
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Practice this evacuation plan with others so when there is a tsunami all are prepared to act. |
CURRENT TSUNAMI BULLETINS FOR HAWAI'I - NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
Know the Natural Warning Signs of Tsunami
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Strong local earthquakes may cause tsunamis - If the shaking causes you to fall or have difficulty standing, this is your first natural tsunami warning sign. Protect yourself from the earthquake effects and when the shaking stops, leave the evacuation zones immediately. |
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Receding Water - As a tsunami approaches the shoreline, it could possibly expose the ocean floor, reef, and fish. |
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Seeing or hearing the water - You might see an approaching wall of water and/or hear a load roaring sound similar to that of a train or jet aircraft. |
| Sensing a Tsunami |
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Tsunami Warnings
NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) has responsibility for tsunami monitoring and the subsequent issuance of any necessary watches or warnings for Hawai`i.
NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) has responsibility for tsunami monitoring and the subsequent issuance of any necessary watches or warnings for Hawai`i.
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To learn more about the tsunami warning system visit the NOAA Tsunami Website
Emergency Information
The Hawai'i State Emergency Alert System (EAS) is used to notify the public of a possible approaching tsunami. A steady three minute siren tone is the attention alert signal. Turn on the nearest radio or television and listen for emergency information and instructions.
In some cases not all radio or television stations may be able to transmit. As part of the EAS particular radio stations have been designated as primary sources for information. Click the link below to find out more about these stations.
EAS Radio Stations
The Hawai'i State Emergency Alert System (EAS) is used to notify the public of a possible approaching tsunami. A steady three minute siren tone is the attention alert signal. Turn on the nearest radio or television and listen for emergency information and instructions.
In some cases not all radio or television stations may be able to transmit. As part of the EAS particular radio stations have been designated as primary sources for information. Click the link below to find out more about these stations.
EAS Radio Stations
The State and County Civil Defense Agencies test the EAS at 11:15 a.m. on the first workday
of the month. When you hear the test sirens or your radio or television program is interrupted
this is your opportunity to think about what you will do when it’s not a test.
| Hawai'i State Civil Defense |
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If you are in a low lying area near the coast or in the tsunami evacuation zone during a significant
earthquake get to higher ground outside of the tsunami evacuation zone immediately, a locally generated
tsunami could reach the shore within minutes.
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Concrete and/or steel reinforced building of 6 or more stories that are not damaged by earthquakes should also provide safe shelter above the third floor. Hawaii County Residents Click Here |
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Remain outside the zone until the All Clear signal has been issued by local civil defense authorities. |
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In the case of a distant source tsunami a Tsunami Warning will be issued three hours prior to the estimated arrival time. If you are in the evacuation zone when the warning sirens sound prepare to move inland or, if you have access to a concrete and/or steel reinforced building of 6 or more stories move above the third floor. |
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You may want to walk out of the tsunami evacuation zone to avoid traffic gridlock. |
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If located outside a tsunami evacuation zone, stay outside of the evacuation zone and limit all non-emergency travel. Do not use your telephone or cell phone except for emergencies. |
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All public schools in tsunami evacuation zones have emergency evacuation plans in place in the event of a Tsunami Warning. |
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Have preparations in place to care for your pets in case you are ordered to evacuate. Contact your veterinarian or the Hawai'i Humane Society for more information on pet arrangements. |
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Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance. |
Local Civil Defense Agencies
See your local civil defense agency for specific information on tsunami shelters and other specific evacuation instructions for your community.
See your local civil defense agency for specific information on tsunami shelters and other specific evacuation instructions for your community.
Kauai Civil Defense Agency
City and County of Honolulu Department of Emergency Management
Maui Civil Defense Agency
Hawai'i County Civil Defense Agency
To reduce your risk you must first understand the tsunami threat.
What is a tsunami?
A tsunami (Japanese for “harbor waves”) is a series of ocean waves produced by a sudden rise or fall in the earth’s crust, most commonly caused by an earthquake or underwater landslide. In the open ocean tsunami waves cannot be seen or felt by ships or airplanes because the unbreaking waves are actually hundreds of miles wide with a height of only a few feet. But as the waves approach the coast their height increases dramatically and can be very destructive when they reach the shore. To learn more about tsunamis visit the following website.
NOAA Tsunami Website
A tsunami (Japanese for “harbor waves”) is a series of ocean waves produced by a sudden rise or fall in the earth’s crust, most commonly caused by an earthquake or underwater landslide. In the open ocean tsunami waves cannot be seen or felt by ships or airplanes because the unbreaking waves are actually hundreds of miles wide with a height of only a few feet. But as the waves approach the coast their height increases dramatically and can be very destructive when they reach the shore. To learn more about tsunamis visit the following website.
NOAA Tsunami Website
Understand the Threat
Locally generated tsunamis resulting from earthquakes or landslides within the Hawai'ian Islands can arrive at the coast within minutes, even before a warning can be issued. If you are near the shore and feel the ground shake move inland to higher ground immediately. The Hawai'ian Islands are also vulnerable to Pacific-wide tsunamis. These tsunamis result from distant earthquakes and/or landslides in places like Chile, Alaska, and Japan and can arrive in Hawai'ian waters within hours.
To understand your individual risk, find out if the places you and your family live and work are in or near the tsunami evacuation zones. These maps are available from this website and in the front section of all phonebooks. To learn about historical tsunamis that have impacted Hawai'i visit the following websites:
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Tsunamis are Hawai'i’s number one natural disaster killer. |
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All low-lying coastal areas, harbors, streams, and rivers in Hawai'i are vulnerable to tsunami impacts. |
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Tsunamis can occur at anytime. Earthquakes and/or landslides that may trigger tsunamis cannot be forecasted. |
Locally generated tsunamis resulting from earthquakes or landslides within the Hawai'ian Islands can arrive at the coast within minutes, even before a warning can be issued. If you are near the shore and feel the ground shake move inland to higher ground immediately. The Hawai'ian Islands are also vulnerable to Pacific-wide tsunamis. These tsunamis result from distant earthquakes and/or landslides in places like Chile, Alaska, and Japan and can arrive in Hawai'ian waters within hours.
To understand your individual risk, find out if the places you and your family live and work are in or near the tsunami evacuation zones. These maps are available from this website and in the front section of all phonebooks. To learn about historical tsunamis that have impacted Hawai'i visit the following websites:
Locally Generated Tsunamis
Locally generated tsunamis can arrive along our coastline within minutes of a significant earthquake. Earthquakes and landslides off the Kona coast of the Big Island pose a serious local tsunami hazard for Hawai'i. This map shows modeled arrival times (in minutes) of the first wave of the tsunami. The tsunmi would reach the Kona coast within 5 minutes, and the southern shores of Maui, Moloka'i, and O'ahu in less than 30 minutes.
Locally generated tsunamis can arrive along our coastline within minutes of a significant earthquake. Earthquakes and landslides off the Kona coast of the Big Island pose a serious local tsunami hazard for Hawai'i. This map shows modeled arrival times (in minutes) of the first wave of the tsunami. The tsunmi would reach the Kona coast within 5 minutes, and the southern shores of Maui, Moloka'i, and O'ahu in less than 30 minutes.
| University of Hawai'i School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology |
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Distant Source Tsunamis
Distant source tsunamis may take several hours to arrive on Hawai'i’s shores. The April 1, 1946 Pacific-wide tsunami was caused by a magnitude 7.3 Ms earthquake that occurred south of Unimak Island, Alaska. The first waves arrived in Hawai'i in under 5 hours causing extensive destruction along the shorelines of the Hawaiian Islands. Wave heights across the Islands reached an estimated maximum of 55 feet, 36 feet and 33 feet on Hawai'i, O'ahu, and Maui, respectively and reached a half a mile inland in some locations. A total of 159 people were killed as a result of the tsunami in Hawai'i, 96 in Hilo alone, where the city`s entire waterfront was destroyed.
Distant source tsunamis may take several hours to arrive on Hawai'i’s shores. The April 1, 1946 Pacific-wide tsunami was caused by a magnitude 7.3 Ms earthquake that occurred south of Unimak Island, Alaska. The first waves arrived in Hawai'i in under 5 hours causing extensive destruction along the shorelines of the Hawaiian Islands. Wave heights across the Islands reached an estimated maximum of 55 feet, 36 feet and 33 feet on Hawai'i, O'ahu, and Maui, respectively and reached a half a mile inland in some locations. A total of 159 people were killed as a result of the tsunami in Hawai'i, 96 in Hilo alone, where the city`s entire waterfront was destroyed.
Other recommended searches include your workplace, child
care provider, church, and the houses of your 'ohana.
care provider, church, and the houses of your 'ohana.
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This site has been developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in partnership with the State of Hawai'i. For feedback, contact the NOAA Pacific Services Center |
 
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