Hawaii’s New Tsunami Plan: Don’t Drive… Just Walk?

WooGlobe

On July 29, Hawaii faced a tsunami threat that turned into a massive wake-up call. Although no wave hit, the evacuation exposed serious flaws — from non-working sirens to crashed websites and hours of traffic gridlock. Now, the state is taking action. From faster siren repairs to clearer evacuation instructions and manual traffic control, Hawaii is rewriting its emergency playbook. This time it was a drill... next time, it could be the real thing. WooGlobe Ref : WGA963829 For licensing and to use this video, please email licensing@wooglobe.com

Transcript

00:00What if your next tsunami warning left you stuck in traffic for three hours?

00:04That's exactly what happened in Hawaii on July 29th.

00:07And while no wave hit, the chaos was real.

00:10Now the state is working to fix what went wrong.

00:12Emergency sirens failed, key websites crashed,

00:15and people evacuated when they didn't need to,

00:18clogging roads that were meant for those truly at risk.

00:21Some even waited over an hour just to leave a parking garage,

00:24when all they had to do was walk upstairs.

00:26Others could have reached safety in ten minutes on foot,

00:29but chose to drive instead, making everything worse.

00:33Now the state plans to fix broken sirens faster,

00:36manually manage key intersections,

00:38and most importantly, make evacuation instructions crystal clear.

00:42New messaging will tell people when to walk instead of drive

00:45and why shopping for gas or supplies in the middle of an emergency could put lives at risk.

00:50A smarter traffic reversal system and stronger online tools are coming too,

00:55all aimed at getting people out safely and calmly before the next real wave hits.

00:59Because this time was a drill, but next time it might not be.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended