Crazy kid videos Kona tsunami

Smallish Tsunami

When the sirens sounded and security arrived, we headed for higher ground/the golf course across the main highway where we/friends who had just arrived from the Bay Area, N Carolina and Chicago/and our dogs/watched the news and slept on the locker room floor.  What follows is what we discovered when returning to the beach the following day. 

Benches, boulders and boats lifted off their bases.  Pristine/sacred ponds now filled with debris.  Fish fighting to survive.  Furniture fished from ponds.  Beach House @ Hualalai/Four Seasons/destroyed. The entire patio carried across the 18th fairway.  Walkways washed away.  

If this was a Small Wave, I never want to experience a Big One.  

I will try to get closer to Hualalai's other beachside buildings today.  

So sad but incomparable to the experience in Japan.  I simply cannot imagine.

Update on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 11:16AM by Lois

We are all thankful that you and your friends are safe. News in CA does not mention HI.  In fact, as I recall, the TV news indicated there was no Tsunami in HA but I was only an occasional listener/viewer.  So your pictures are quite shocking. Take care, my friend.

Wow....had no idea it affected Hawaii like that...thought it went straight over to Crescent City.  Let's all pray that we don't see "The Big One."

I have been glued to the TV.  Breaks my heart to see the loss of life and the devistation.  As I always say, live in the moment.  It's all we have.

Thanks so much for all the pictures...wow, this was a true tragedy...yes, and especially in Japan!...glad you are all fine and traveled to high ground! We have all been glued to our televisions...

Oh Lois, thank you for sharing your pictures.  You are so right.  This is nothing compared to what happened in Japan.  It is all relative.   Makes one realize the forces of nature and that it could happen here to all of us.  Happy to hear that you are safe.  Looking forward to FP’s and hearing your stories.

Amazing!  Saw on the morning news today, guest from the Fourseason's Hotel sleeping on the golf course with pillows and blankets awaiting the tsunami.

Wow!  It's unbelievable the amazing force of Mother Nature!

I'm so glad you, your family and friends are ok.  Such devastation to the property and beautiful ponds.  
I was thinking of you while we were watching the TV. There wasn't much on the news about the effect of the tsunami on Hawaii - just that it was a "small one."  Apparently, even a "small one" is pretty devastating! Those poor people over in Japan!

I'm so glad to hear that you are all fine.  When I started hearing of damage and seeing images from clients at Hualalai, I immediately thought of you.  I arrive on the Big Island on Monday for a week long visit.  Please let me know if there is anything I can do.

As we view the slideshow we are sad to see that the tsunami has disturbed the beaches, flora and ponds of beautiful Kukio and the surrounding area.  We hope that the clean up can help to restore things to normal and that the fish in the ponds will survive!

I can’t decide if I’m glad you were there to see and experience all this or not.  I so remember the air raid sirens going off as a child in Kailua...I could pack up my doll house in under three minutes and be in the car for the ride with the family and our dog “Mele” up to the Pali and higher ground.  We never knew if it was just a drill or the real deal until it was over.  Seemed like a bit of an adventure as a child, especially since they were almost always in the middle of the night.  

So glad to hear that you and your guests are safe.  All will have unusual stories and memories to share.  The damage to buildings and grounds will be repaired.  The fish make great fertilizer.  Those nasty toads...who cares?  Japan is a whole other story.  Life is precious.  Hug your kids.  Celebrate the now.  You do this in spades dear lady and I am so grateful to have you for a role model in my life. 

 

Scouting for a tsunami

No, we weren't Quite That Stupid. Close but not Completely Crazy. Rather, we're all Whale Watching the day before. 

From the day of the tsunami alert: Packing quickly and moving to higher ground. Leaving all doors open to let waves wash through our house. Will pick up pieces down the road, literally, after it all subsides. Not good/but we'll be safe. Over and out for today. Computer in potential path of waves.

Update on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 5:04PM by Lois

Well THAT was an interesting exercise in assessing What Matters.  Dogs and friends were safe with us perched on rocks above potentially sketchy/threatening shoreline surges.  We woke up to early morning phone calls from concerned friends in CA and security. Our energetic/resourceful/thoughtful friends helped us collect and consolidate what we could before moving to higher ground.

GA was monitoring the buoys from CA and texting minute-to-minute updates, our only contact with news.  Friends and family sent messages of concern. The water receded numerous times/very eerie ocean patterns/we thought for sure that the tsunami was imminent. Thankfully, it never materialized.  We’re all taking a deep breath, appreciating that we will continue to enjoy this amazingly beautiful place for a little longer.

Several years ago I thought that nothing could be better, really, than our head-lamp-lit, folding-chair-Hibachi-style-BBQ’s on our bare lava lot that has become our home.  So if everything was gone, nothing was really lost.  We’d simply be back where we were/so enjoying the sea/the stars/the magic of sitting around a campfire with friends and family.  Interesting reality check.  Hey thank you/this realization was worth the work today.