TSUNAMI TO HIT IN T-60 MINUTES

It is 1:54 am.

I have not slept yet.  At approximately 8 this evening, my dad called me to tell me about an earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  And the tsunami was coming our way.


I knew the drill.  We had a tsunami warning approximately one year ago, and many while I was growing up.  We hopped into my husband's car and headed to the grocery store.  We loaded up on the Hawaii essentials: brown rice, canned veggies, canned fruits, eggs, bottled water, pop tarts, cereal, bread, and beer.  We already have peanut butter, canned tuna and chicken, as well as frozen foods that we can eat in case the stores are closed for a few days.

We don't live near the water so we are safe.  Our apartment is up on a mountain, with a view of the ocean.  However, we won't see much at 3am when the waves hit.  Below is a picture of the evacuation areas, which are basically all coastal lands.  We live right above areas 19 and 20:

We filled up his car with gas (my tank is about 3/4 full) and also took out cash.  A few years ago the power went out after an earthquake in Hawaii.  No one could make any purchases with debit or credit cards since none of the machines worked, not even ATMS.  The banks were insane! Check out the gas station below: this was before the alert was raised to a "warning" and we got a headstart!

I've been watching the news all night about the devastation in Japan and my prayers are going out to them.  This is such a tragic event.  The earthquake was devastating and then this tsunami just wipes everything out!

I also have family in Guam who I could not get in touch with, but my mom has spoken to them.  However, I have not heard from them since the waves have hit the island.

Facebook and Twitter have been such great sources of information.  We've had an earthquake in Southern California and an earthquake on the Big Island of Hawaii- both of which I found out on Twitter! Facebook was also a big help in getting in touch with family.  Friends of mine, who are sisters, were able to connect on FB since the phone lines were jammed.  I'm very thankful for social media this evening!

We have about one hour to go until the first wave hits.  I pray that we have no devastation, and that it's just a tiny wave, just like last year.  I hope this worry is for nothing.... I will keep you all posted!