Hawaii is bracing for a potential tsunami in the wake of last night’s massive Chilean earthquake, sounding alarms to evacuate coastal areas for the first time in 16 years.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning — its highest alert — early Saturday morning, warning of damage along the shores of all islands in the state.
“Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property,” the warning reads.
The first wave is expected to arrive by 11:19 a.m. local time, 4:19 p.m. EST.
Civil defense sirens in each county of Hawaii will sound simultaneously at 6 a.m. local time to alert residents and visitors to evacuate coastline homes and resorts and move to higher ground.
“We’ve got a lot of things going for us,” Charles McCreery, director of the center told The Associated Press. “We have a reasonable lead time. The evacuation should all take place during daylight hours, and wave impact should be during daylight hours.”
“We should be able to alert everyone in harm’s way to move out of the evacuation zones,” he said.
Four to 8-foot waves were reported along the South American coastline following the 8.8 magnitude quake off central Chile, but any waves to reach Hawaii’s shores would likely not be larger than that.
“What we’re looking at is a tsunami that could be two to three meters for some areas in HW,” Jenifer Rhoades, Tsunami Program Manager at the National Weather Service, told MSNBC. “That means it could be 6 to 8 feet of inundation in some areas.”
Since a tsunami is a series of waves, emergency management officials are warning people to remain on alert even after the first wave or waves arrive.
“The time from one tsunami wave to the next can be five minutes to an hour,” the PTWC bulletin reads. “The threat can continue for many hours as multiple waves arrive.”
Residents are advised to remain on high ground until local authorites give the “all clear,” which could come no sooner than two hours after the estimated time of the tsunami’s arrival.
The tsunami warning is also in effect for Guam, American Samoa and other Pacific Islands.
A lower-grade tsunami advisory issued for coastal areas of California and Alaska. Australian authorities did not issue a warning but asked residents to stay away from the coast.
“We are closely monitoring the situation, including the potential for a tsunami,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement this morning.
Following a 9.5-magnitude quake that struck Chile in 1960, the ensuing tsunami killed more than 200 people, including 61 in Hawaii.
Experts say any tsunami to hit Hawaii this time will likely be much smaller since the quake itself was not as strong.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.