Adventure 13 - Tsunami in Hawaii- An Unexpected Adventure

It was Friday, February 26, 2010, when I made the decision that I would head to Honolulu from Molokai rather than opt for the Whale Watching Tour that a few buddies from my recent retreat were heading to early the next morning.  I stayed at the hotel nearest to the airport so it would be an easy shuttle to my flight on Saturday afternoon.

When I woke up that morning it was casual packing and waiting for my noon checkout.  There was a text message from my sister Dawn saying she heard of Tsunami warnings in Hawaii and to let her know I was okay.  I chuckled to myself and let her know I hadn't heard anything.

Maybe I'll head down for breakfast before going to the airport.  That was the plan.  When I got to the lobby there were people crowded around the TV in the front lobby checking out the news of the Tsunami heading our way.  There were reports of people heading to higher ground.  Roads were blocked and there were huge line ups at the local grocery stores with people wanting to stock up on food and supplies.  There it was, the Tsunami warnings.  Maybe I'll just hang out in my room and check the news on the internet.

My email was filling up with messages from the people I had left behind in Molokai.  They were staying at the hotel right ON the Pacific Ocean.  At 5:30 AM as they were getting ready to go Whale Watching,  they heard the warning sounds to EVACUATE...NOW!  And everybody BOLTS!  There's no time to think about it....just GO! (This is my imagined scenario.)

As a tourist I'm sure everyone is wondering where they should be going exactly.  My friends decided they would head back to the Hui Hoolana where we spent the last week.  What a great idea.  They were welcomed with opened arms and a hot breakfast.  Nice.

There I was, alone in my hotel room, safe and sound, but feeling a little isolated.  Where I really wanted to be at that moment was back at the Hui where I could hang out with familiar faces.  Their experience was from a different perspective.  They had a place to go, but they were far away from home and the airport in Molokai was completely shut down.  They had no idea when they would be able to leave the island.

Over the previous week, all of us who were at the retreat were coming from a very serene and loving environment.  We all had just gone through basic training in handling life as it comes without the stress and worries of the day to day living and an occasional Tsunami warning.  This was the first test.  

It was only a matter of a few hours when the warnings were a memory There were only a few delays at the airport and interisland flights had resumed.

Although it may seem like a chaotic experience, it really wasn't.   For me it turned into an uneventful event.  As for my friends, they are all safe and sound back in there respective countries still sending emails to keep in touch.

Aloha Hawaii.  I'll be back!