Fixing sirens and providing better messaging about evacuation plans and better traffic direction at intersections were among the ideas discussed Thursday as officials reviewed lapses from the July 29 tsunami warning.
Hawaiʻi residents were sent scrambling away from the ocean with just under five hours warning as weather officials predicted that the first waves might hit shortly after 7 p.m. Gridlocked traffic ensued as thousands drove home and to higher ground.
The tsunami ended up causing no major damage or injuries, but critics called it a wake-up call and urged officials to address problems with emergency preparedness that were exposed during the chaos. That includes faulty warning sirens that were faint or inaudible in several neighborhoods.
“The evacuation was a success in that by 7 o’clock everybody was outside of the inundation zones,” state Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen said during a legislative hearing at the Capitol. “It can be a lot smoother. A lot smoother.”
The worst traffic occurred on side streets, Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation director Ed Sniffen said, though highways were also packed. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2025)
Rep. Della Au Belatti, who scheduled the hearing as chair of the House Public Safety Committee, said she wanted to hold an information session because “it was timely.”
While other islands have had recent disasters – torrential flooding on Kauaʻi, deadly wildfires on Maui, lava flows on Hawaiʻi island – Belatti worries Oʻahu is unprepared.
“We haven’t had a massive incident on Oʻahu,” she said. “And I don’t know that we are fully prepared for that. And then yeah, the tsunami – the problems with evacuation highlights that.”
Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency director James Barros said specific agencies like the Department of Transportation are gathering information and plan to publish after-action reports by the end of the year.
Traffic Jams
Belatti wanted to hear how Honolulu’s emergency preparedness compared to the Big Island’s, though she said Honolulu Department of Emergency Management director Randal Collins wasn’t available because of a scheduling conflict. She plans to bring him in for a future information session.
Thursday’s panel included Sniffen, Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Agency administrator Talmadge Magno and Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency director James Barros.
Sniffen focused on evacuation practices. “As everyone saw, traffic wasn’t the best,” he said during the session.
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport was the scene of many delays related to the incoming tsunami. Belatti said better coordination is needed next time between airlines and the state so travelers know whom to look to for guidance. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2025)
In future tsunami scenarios, he said, traffic can be mitigated by emphasizing that people close to shore can stay put if they’re already high up in a tall building. Some people also could have walked just 10 minutes to get outside the evacuation zone, he said.
Sniffen said he doesn’t want to require people to stay or go in an emergency. But he wants them to know they have other evacuation options besides getting in a car to drive inland.
He also said traffic can be improved for those who do decide to drive.
“We’re going to be looking at which intersections do we have to have police, or flagmen, or in some cases military, to ensure that we can start flushing traffic through,” he said. “If we had that in place before traffic built up, it’d be a lot easier for us to push traffic through those areas regardless of what the lights say.”
Faulty Sirens
Other plans for the future include repairing the state’s emergency sirens and eventually moving remote ridge sirens into valleys and neighborhoods, Barros said.
More than 18% of the state’s 421 warning sirens either need to be fixed or are completely inoperable. That figure is slightly higher on Oʻahu, according to data published after the most recent siren test Aug. 1.
He noted that a big problem is theft of expensive components of the sirens such as batteries and copper wiring.
“That siren’s keeping you and your ʻohana safe,” he imagines telling residents once more sirens are located closer to homes. “So don’t let somebody vandalize it.”
As of Aug. 1, when the state’s status map was last updated, this warning siren in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikīkī was one of dozens that needed to be repaired. (Anthony Quintano/Civil Beat/2017)
After-Action Reports Incoming
Barros said individual counties and agencies are working on their own after-action reports. He plans to convene officials in September to discuss stitching these together into a larger report.
Sniffen, for example, said in an interview after the session that he expects his department’s draft report to be published in November, and a final version could be ready after the next legislative session once lawmakers and the public have time to give feedback. His report will include scenarios for evacuations occurring at different times of day and year.
The warning occurred as a tsunami emanating from a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Russia threatened to hit Hawaiʻi’s coasts. It was unclear at the time how big the waves would be. Officials tracking it as it traversed the Pacific Ocean said it’s hard to predict the size so they urged people to prepare for the worst.
The worst ended up not happening. Besides minor flooding in some areas, the warning mostly served as a dress rehearsal for how the state would react to a sudden natural disaster.
“Nobody got hurt,” Barros said. “Everybody evacuated. A lot of lessons learned. But in my mind, it was another battle drill for us, because nothing happened.”
Sign up for our FREE morning newsletter and face each day more informed.
Sign Up
Sorry. That’s an invalid e-mail.
Thanks! We’ll send you a confirmation e-mail shortly.