Tsunami

First and most importantly, I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers.  Living on the ocean in Paradise is certainly a blessing.   However, when you have Tsunami warnings two years in a row, it does indeed, make you understand the power of Mother Nature. Do notice, it is “Mother Nature” not “Father Nature” illustrating once again the strength of a woman.

Ironically when the warnings took place last year, WJJ and I were on a 3-month cruise.  We were just outside of Chile when the earthquake struck, and then of course the threat of a major Tsunami.   Then we were riveted to our TV for hours. 

Just about everyone on the ship knew we had two homes on the ocean in Hawaii, so we were constantly being asked, “How are you doing?”

The answer was simple.  We were fine.  Being away from Hawaii actually made it easy.  There was absolutely nothing we could do but wait.  Fortunately, there was little damage, as the Tsunami became merely ripples in the ocean.

Last night was very different.  WJJ and I had finished dinner early and watched the results from American Idol.  Friday is golf day for WJJ, so we decided to go to bed early, about 9:30!  I followed my typical evening “beauty” routine.  Wash face, put cream on, take out contacts, brush teeth, brush hair and put on nightgown.  Last night it was Contempo, which is my favorite “sleeping” chemise.

Just before I shut the TV off in my dressing room, I heard about the earthquake in Japan.  I got into bed and said to WJJ, “There’s been a major earthquake in Japan.  Those poor people.”  The thought of a Tsunami crossed my mind, but nothing had been mentioned.

I fell into a very deep sleep.  About a half hour later, our house phone rang.  That is never a good sign that late.  (Remember all of my family is located on the East Coast so 10:00 PM Hawaii time, is 3:00 AM East Coast time)  No one calls with good news at that hour.

I woke and heard WJJ talking then he hung up.  He said, “That was Bob Shohan” (one of our dear friends and WJJ’s golfing (buddy).   I assumed it was a call about golf so I went back to sleep.  Oh boy, that wasn’t going to last long.  About five minutes later, WJJ woke me up and said, “Honey, you have to get up, we have to leave.”  Half asleep I said, “Where are we going?”  He answered,  “The Shohan's house”.  I said,  “What’s wrong? Are they OK?”  “Yes” he responded, “but we may not be.”

“Huh?”  He continued, “there is a major Tsunami warning and it looks very serious. We have to evacuate.” Just then I heard the sirens for the first time. Yes, Civil defense sirens blaring to encourage, no actually, demand evacuation. 

As if in a trance, I got up, put on a long lounging dress (didn’t want to visit people in my lingerie) put my contacts back in and got my “emergency carry-on” which is always packed with toothbrush, toothpaste, contact solution etc. and got into the car to head to higher elevations.  Our friends live in a lovely hi-rise condo so that’s where safety presented itself.

It took us less than 10 minutes to leave the house. As we passed the gas stations there were literally 30 -40 cars waiting for gas. The reality of the situation was evident. In the deep dark of night with sirens blaring, we realized that the waiting game had begun.

So we arrived and became transfixed to the TV.  Hours passed and WJJ and I continued to look for any signs of what would happen.   At 1:30 AM (6:30 East Coast time), my cell phone started ringing.  First my sister Chris,  of course she asked,  "Are you Ok?”  Then, “where are you?” And finally the question of the night,

“Did you take your jewelry with you?”  I assured her that yes we were fine -- just waiting. And no I didn’t really think about my jewelry.  But now that she had mentioned it, I had visions of my jewels floating away across the Pacific Ocean.

Damn, who cares about my contact solution, I should have worried more about my jewelry.

Jamie of course called concerned about our safety.  I checked our home phone and several of our Hawaii friends had called to make sure we knew about the Tsunami, and had invited us to spend the night at their homes.  Amazing.

Finally, the first waves hit Kauai at 3:07 as scheduled.  But there were no real reports.  Oahu was next at about 3:17.  Still, no real reports.  All that was said, was that a Tsunami is a series of waves -- so even if the first one is not large, through the two hours of activity, anything could happen. We clearly understood.  No sigh of relief until somewhere around 8:00 AM.  By that time, WJJ and I were exhausted and once again realized there was nothing we could do. So at about 4:15 AM we went to bed. 

We were up 3 hours later.  Much to our disbelief, for the second year in a row, Hawaii seemed to have withstood the threat of a major Tsunami.  It was indeed a miracle and a blessing.

We were safe, our friends were safe and our houses were not damaged.  Amazing.

To make life even better, Terri had decided that we “deserved” a hearty breakfast.

Yes, she had strawberries, yogurt, salami, cheese, bacon (crispy), eggs, toast, and hash browns.   For a one piece of whole wheat toast for breakfast kind of gal:, this was a real treat. 

We were able to return home to lots of messages and emails from people I had seen yesterday to some I hadn’t seen in years.  All with the same messages of care and concern.

So, no major Tsunami, rather a reinforcement of love and friendship--in Hawaii that’s called Ohana --which actually means “family.”   Despite all the devastation that could have occurred last night, that is not my story today.   Even if God forbid something had happened to the house, it’s still only a house. The kindness shown by so many reinforces Ohana--that despite time and distance --once Ohana --always Ohana. 

And finally, our thoughts love and prayers go out to the people of Japan.  The damage done by the Earthquake and Tsunami is extraordinary.  But as a community that is resilient and resourceful, I know that Japan will rise above this tragedy.

Again, my sincere thanks to my Ohana and for my sister Chris who can always add some levity to an otherwise serious situation. 

With love,

Tj