“Lest we forget how fragile we are”- update from Honolulu

[mahina]

Reflecting on our near miss here in Hawaii, and those lost yesterday in Chile, I keep hearing Sting’s beautiful song in my mind.

Yesterday was adrenaline x 5000 from 5:45 am when I woke up till late last night when I fell asleep on the sofa exhausted. Making sure coworkers and friends living in the innundation zones were going to be safe, getting those who would not be safe up here to my house, getting food for them and their friends who are visiting the islands, and for our family and neighbors, and getting one part of my work (across the street from the ocean) up off the ground and as many valuables as possible out of there, was completely exhausting. People were patient and kind with each other, as we are in these situations most of the time.

Today talking story with neighbors, hearing about the canoe clubs on the beach getting all the canoes up mauka was amazing.

My brother was scheduled to land at the airport right about the time of the expected waves, so keeping my Mom together was my next job. He is the smartest guy I know and he could land that big plane and all those people on it on the freeway or on neighbor islands. She was so afraid for him, her only son. She is so smart and kind and strong, but that was tough on her.

We are all connected, as the waves showed us yesterday. What each of us does affects all of us, what happens to one really does affect others, which is the philosophy that binds us together as Democrats.

I still have to get back to work so this is not going to be a beautiful post, but want to say aloha and thanks so much for all the good thoughts to those of you who sent them in my post from when the sirens started, http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7807388

Aloha
Mahina

[Guilded Lilly]

1. A very long distance *cyber* hug...

(Laughing because I usually hate the term cyber-anything, but I mean it this time!)..from snowy Ohio, where we don't have to worry about tsunamis. We just keep trying to learn how to catch the sunshine a bit brighter every day.

I watched quite a bit of the coverage and pushing aside the agenda of some of the news media to almost hope for something dramatic to happen, I was very thrilled to see any major trauma averted. Mother Nature can be amazingly kind in the midst of one of her potent blow-ups.

peace,
Lilly

[mahina]

4. Thank you Lilly, that is very kind.

[spooky3]

2. good vibes to you and your family

please stay safe

[mahina]

5. Always, mahalo!

[northofdenali]

3. Was tuned in to the KHON live stream most of yesterday -

and I am so glad that the waves held back. \

Hawaii really kept it together in a very, very impressive way.

:hug: from your Northern sister state.

[mahina]

6. Everybody here tells me it was interesting on TV but

I was working the whole time and didn't see more than a few minutes of the white water going BACK out to sea from the exposed reef and rocks in Hilo. Super freaky to see the wave crests going the wrong way.

Mahalo for your hugs and good thoughts!

[northofdenali]

7. For us so far away, though, we were on the edge of our seats.

My computer isn't real powerful, so I was grateful to get the "live radio" version that I "saw" (mostly still shots) and being able to listen in.

They issued warnings for Kodiak and Sitka, but we had no damage.

I have to say i wa extremely impressed with the cooperation the Hawiian people gave the cops, civil defence etc. Very orderly and even polite. Had there been stronger tsunamis with more damage, I think Hawaii would handle it better than most states faces with mother nature's occasional asskickings.

You folks rock.

[Hekate]

8. Thank you for checking in, my dear. You and all the rest of Hawai'i were in my thoughts...

... and I am so glad it all turned out okay. :grouphug:

Ironically, the one place that got a bit of damage was Ventura, CA, just down the coast from me. But altogether we all -- Mainlanders and Islanders -- were very, very lucky indeed.

Hekate

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/feb/27/Tsunami-surge-damages-Ventura-docks/?partner=popular

Tsunami surge damages Ventura docks, sets boats loose

A tsunami driven by a massive earthquake in Chile surged into Ventura County on Saturday, damaging more than a dozen boat docks and forcing boat owners to scramble after a few loose vessels, but causing no injuries.

A tidal surge estimated at three feet rolled into Ventura Harbor about 1 p.m. and unmoored 14 residential docks in the Ventura Keys neighborhood, said Battalion Chief Matt Brock of the Ventura Fire Department.

“It was a busy day, but no one was hurt, no one houses were inundated with water and we were able to help people retrieve their loose boats pretty quickly,” he said.
Brock had no damage estimate for the docks, some of which were partially submerged or broke away from rollers that connected them to cement pilings.

Officials in the Ventura Harbor Master’s Office said there was some erosion and navigational buoys came loose in the inner harbor area, but no major incidents. Officials said they focused on getting offshore boats into the harbor.
A sailing regatta sponsored by the Pierpont Bay Yacht Club was returning to the harbor and needed assistance from the Harbor Patrol and U.S. Coast Guard to navigate the main channel.

A tsunami advisory was issued for the California coast as a result of the 8.8 earthquake in Chile.
>snip<
Devastating tsunamis are rare in California. Since 1812, 14 tsunamis with waves higher than 3 feet have been observed along the California coast, but only six caused destruction.
The deadliest occurred in 1964 when a magnitude-9.2 quake in Alaska spawned tsunami waves that killed 12 people in Northern California.

[mahina]

10. Mahalo Hekate!

Thanks for the hugs and thoughts! :grouphug:

[goclark]

9. My best friend's family lives there Aloha!

I talked to her last night and she was able to finally get calls through to her family.
We were worried sick.

Thanks for letting us know how you are doing.