Some residents living on boats weren’t concerned about the tsunami watch

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    OAHU, Hawaii (KITV) — Before the watch was canceled, for a moment, there was fear felt by some people. For others it was no big deal.

Jane Dinnie owns two boats docked in the harbor, she was ready to sail if the tsunami watch turned in something more serious.

“I would just go out about a mile or two and just wait for it to come,” Dinnie said.

That would be a good decision, according to a collaborative tsunami safety manual published by various agencies. It recommends boaters to move their vessels offshore, where the water’s more than 300 feet deep, that’s usually at least two miles from the entrance to the channel.

In the four years Dinnie lived on a boat, she has experienced both hurricane and tsunami conditions. She has one simple rule, always be prepared.

“Make sure you have enough water, food, canned food, just in case and gas/oil generator,” Dinnie said. “It’s a challenge and you have to do what you gotta do to work with mother nature and keep ourselves safe.”

It was a busy morning at Hawaii Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Diamond Head Crater.

“We immediately changed our posture here from COVID-19 operations to coordinating with the county emergency managers and the governor’s office,” HIEMA Administrator Luke Meyers said.

Meyers believes Thursday was a good drill for his team to prepare for any natural disaster.

“As an incident arises, we adjust and we try to solve problems. This morning was a tsunami challenge, just getting us ready for potential impacts,” Meyers said.

Meyers recommends everyone should always have an evacuation plan and a 14-day emergency kit ready including food, water, batteries and any essential items.

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