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The worst traffic occurred on side streets, Hawai\u02bbi Department of Transportation director Ed Sniffen said, though highways were also packed. (David Croxford\/Civil Beat\/2025)<\/p>\nAgencies like the Department of Transportation plan to publish after-action reports by the end of the year, officials said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Hawai\u02bbi 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe evacuation was a success in that by 7 o\u2019clock everybody was outside of the inundation zones,\u201d state Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen said during a legislative hearing at the Capitol. \u201cIt can be a lot smoother. A lot smoother.\u201d<\/p>\n
The worst traffic occurred on side streets, Hawai\u02bbi Department of Transportation director Ed Sniffen said, though highways were also packed. (David Croxford\/Civil Beat\/2025)<\/p>\n
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 \u201cit was timely.\u201d<\/p>\n
While other islands have had recent disasters \u2013 torrential flooding on Kaua\u02bbi<\/a>, deadly wildfires on Maui<\/a>, lava flows on Hawai\u02bbi island<\/a> \u2013 Belatti worries O\u02bbahu is unprepared.<\/p>\n \u201cWe haven\u2019t had a massive incident on O\u02bbahu,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t know that we are fully prepared for that. And then yeah, the tsunami \u2013 the problems with evacuation highlights that.\u201d<\/p>\n Hawai\u02bbi 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.<\/p>\n Traffic Jams<\/p>\n Belatti wanted to hear how Honolulu\u2019s emergency preparedness compared to the Big Island\u2019s, though she said Honolulu Department of Emergency Management director Randal Collins wasn\u2019t available because of a scheduling conflict. She plans to bring him in for a future information session.\u00a0<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s panel included Sniffen, Hawai\u02bbi County Civil Defense Agency administrator Talmadge Magno and Hawai\u02bbi Emergency Management Agency director James Barros.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sniffen focused on evacuation practices. \u201cAs everyone saw, traffic wasn\u2019t the best<\/a>,\u201d he said during the session.<\/p>\n In future tsunami scenarios, he said, traffic can be mitigated by emphasizing that people close to shore can stay put if they\u2019re already high up in a tall building. Some people also could have walked just 10 minutes to get outside the evacuation zone, he said.<\/p>\n Sniffen said he doesn\u2019t 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n He also said traffic can be improved for those who do decide to drive.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re 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,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we had that in place before traffic built up, it\u2019d be a lot easier for us to push traffic through those areas regardless of what the lights say.\u201d<\/p>\n Faulty Sirens<\/p>\n Other plans for the future include repairing the state\u2019s emergency sirens<\/a> and eventually moving remote ridge sirens into valleys and neighborhoods, Barros said.<\/p>\n More than 18% of the state\u2019s 421 warning sirens either need to be fixed or are completely inoperable<\/a>. That figure is slightly higher on O\u02bbahu, according to data published after the most recent siren test Aug. 1.<\/p>\n He noted that a big problem is theft of expensive components of the sirens such as batteries and copper wiring.<\/p>\n \u201cThat siren\u2019s keeping you and your \u02bbohana safe,\u201d he imagines telling residents once more sirens are located closer to homes. \u201cSo don\u2019t let somebody vandalize it<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n After-Action Reports Incoming<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sniffen, for example, said in an interview after the session that he expects his department\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n![\"Daniel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/250729-dc-Tsunami-Airport-3747-1024x683.jpg\")
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)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Honolulu-warning-siren-file-3-1024x643.jpg\")
As of Aug. 1, when the state\u2019s status map was last updated, this warning siren in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waik\u012bk\u012b was one of dozens that needed to be repaired. (Anthony Quintano\/Civil Beat\/2017)<\/p>\n
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