'My wedding in Hawaii turned to chaos as panicked guests received tsunami alert'

Daily Mirror

6 days ago

Hawaii was placed on tsunami alert after an 8.8-magnitude in eastern Russia wreaked havoc on a number of countries around the coast of the Pacific Ocean including parts of the US and Japan
Holidaymakers have been thrown into chaos after receiving tsunami warnings while holidaying to Hawaii, and one woman has shared how the alert threatened to ruin her wedding.
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The alert - which has now been downgraded to a tsunami advisory - followed an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Russia in the early hours of this morning (July 30). Described by the BBC as "one of the strongest earthquakes in modern history", the earthquake caused damage to structures in the region, including a school, while the tremor's impact generated tsunami waves that experts initially warned could reach heights of up to 10ft in Hawaii.
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Residents on the island, along with those on parts of mainland US' west coast and in Japan, are being urged to "take action now" and keep away from the ocean.
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In the wake of the alert, normally bustling Hawaiian beaches were seen completely deserted while roads were gridlocked as people rushed to flee coastal regions of the island state. People holidaying have been left with no choice but to stay in their hotel rooms.
One woman on TikTok revealed her wedding in Waikiki had been plunged into chaos following the tsunami warning. "I should be at my celebration dinner, because I just got married today [...] but now we are in the hotel," the unnamed woman said.
"They told us to do a vertical evacuation, which means get up above the fourth floor. So we are on the 25th floor right now.
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"Look at the traffic. You can't go anywhere right now if you want." She also said she spotted a " weird mist" on the other side of the island. "I am starting to panic a little bit," she said.
Another woman who traveled from New Zealand to Waikiki in Hawaii recently has been posting updates on social media. Katma was shopping with a friend when they received a notification on their phones alerting them to the developing situation.
Katma posted a TikTok clip, saying: "We just got this emergency alert and it says tsunami coming, and we're not even kidding, things are shaking."
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She mentioned that they returned safely to their hotel, where she was staying on the 29th floor. "We are planning to stay here," she said.
"I think we'll be okay up here, but you just never know...quite scary."
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The pair of friends heard warning sirens wailing across the area and spotted roads clogged with gridlocked traffic. The duo have since been waiting out the damage in their hotel room. At approximately 8pm local time in Hawaii, they observed "the wind definitely picking up."
"You just don't know what could happen," a worried Katma remarked. One hour later, she confirmed no waves had struck.
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"It's literally like we're living in a movie," she continued. "I don't even know what's going on at this point, but we're still alive so that's good, isn't it?"
Hawaii governor Josh Green announced in a press conference that "so far we have not seen a wave of consequence, which is great relief to us". There have been no reports of injuries or power loss at this time.
Flights to Hawaii were briefly halted this morning, but Hawaiian Airlines have now resumed safe flying operations. Oprah Winfrey has generously opened up her private road in Maui, Hawaii, to aid those evacuating.
"As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was opened," a spokesperson informed CNN.
Evacuation shelters were established at schools and community centres across Honolulu by Hawaiian officials. However, Hawaii has since removed evacuation orders and people have since been able to return to their homes. The state's civil defence agency said in a X post after the tsunami alert for the state was lowered to an advisory.
"Use caution in returning and watch out for damage," it said, adding that beach parks will remain closed and The US National Weather Service warns to stay away from the coast.