So, as most of us have heard, there was an earthquake in Chile earlier this week. It wasn't just an earthquake though, it was an 8.8, which is HUGE!! As we learned about the sensors in the pacific that are monitored in Hawaii, after this earthquake, the employees at the Tsunami center were quick to send out a tsunami warning for the islands of Hawaii. It was speculated that there would be a huge effect from the earthquake, but as it turned out, the warning was called off at 2 p.m. The Hawaiian islands got away with 9 foot waves, and as Gerard Fryer said, "I think we dodged a bullet". That is true, but historically when natural disasters strike, the communities and people are unprepared, but what made this time different? What made Hawaii over prepared? Kaaumoana Tozer was in Hawaii during the warning, and he also happened to be in Phuket, a village in thailand when the 2004 tsunami hit. His biggest concern was living through yet another disaster, and he said that while in Phuket, he saw multiple cars stacked on top of eachother, on top of a two story building. There is no exact answer of why Hawaii was over prepared, but many people are eternally grateful for the advances in technology that allowed them to be warned ahead of time.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/27/national/main6249805.shtml
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