Campus Alert Archive
UH Hilo

Hilo's Tsunami Memory Empties the Streets: UH Hilo Evacuates as Chile's M8.8 Sends Waves Across the Pacific

HIearthquakeemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

At 6:00 AM HST on February 27, 2010, Hawaii County civil defense sirens began sounding after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off coastal Chile generated a Pacific-wide tsunami, and UH Hilo -- located steps from Hilo Bay, a shoreline with living memory of catastrophic 1946 and 1960 tsunamis -- evacuated all low-lying campus facilities. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had issued a statewide tsunami warning the previous evening, giving Hawaii over five hours to prepare. Actual wave heights in Hilo Bay reached less than three feet and no injuries were reported, but the evacuation was statewide in scope with 40,000 to 50,000 Big Island residents ordered to move to higher ground.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Hawaii at Hilo
Public Masters · HI
~4,000 studentsUH Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSiren
Approximate reconstruction362 chars
TSUNAMI WARNING. TSUNAMI WARNING. This is an emergency message from Hawaii County Civil Defense. A Tsunami Warning has been issued for all of the Hawaiian Islands. All residents and visitors in Tsunami Evacuation Zones A and B must evacuate immediately to higher ground. Proceed inland or uphill. Do not return until the all-clear is issued. This is not a drill.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Civil defense sirens began sounding across Hawaii County at approximately 6:00 AM HST on February 27, 2010 -- the exact wording of the PA and siren-accompanied broadcast is reconstructed from standard Hawaii civil defense tsunami warning protocol
UH Hilo's campus, particularly its lower-elevation buildings near Hilo Bay, falls within Hawaii County's tsunami evacuation zones -- making evacuation mandatory under civil defense orders
Hilo has particular institutional memory of tsunamis: the 1946 Aleutian tsunami killed 159 in Hawaii (96 in Hilo) and the 1960 Chilean tsunami killed 61 in Hilo, directly visible from where UH Hilo now stands
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction513 chars
UH Hilo Emergency Notification: Due to the Tsunami Warning currently in effect for the Hawaiian Islands, the UH Hilo campus is closed. All students, faculty, and staff in low-lying campus areas must evacuate to higher ground immediately. Follow Hawaii County Civil Defense instructions. Students in campus housing should evacuate to the University's designated high-ground evacuation site. Do not return to campus until the all-clear is issued by civil defense authorities. Visit hawaii.edu/emergency for updates.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

UH Hilo's official natural hazards page documents the February 27, 2010 tsunami as a significant event in the university's emergency preparedness history
The campus straddles both evacuation and non-evacuation zones -- higher-elevation facilities remained accessible while lower buildings required evacuation
This was the first large-scale tsunami evacuation in Hawaii since 1994, and emergency managers considered it a success that validated the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center's upgraded systems
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction433 chars
UH Hilo All-Clear: Hawaii County Civil Defense has cancelled the Tsunami Warning for the Hawaiian Islands. Actual wave heights in Hilo Bay were minimal. Campus facilities are open for reoccupancy following inspection. Students and employees may return to their normal locations. Campus operations will resume tomorrow, Sunday February 28, with normal Monday operations on March 1. Thank you for your cooperation with this evacuation.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The tsunami waves that reached Hilo Bay measured less than three feet -- a dramatic contrast to the catastrophic 1946 and 1960 tsunamis that reshaped modern Hilo
The successful evacuation with no injuries was widely cited by NOAA and civil defense officials as evidence that the Pacific Tsunami Warning System was functioning as intended
The February 27-28 timing fell during a weekend, limiting the academic disruption; a weekday warning of this magnitude would have required far more complex class cancellation logistics
Context

Background

University of Hawaii at Hilo occupies a campus immediately above the Hilo Bay waterfront -- a shoreline with some of the most vivid tsunami memory in the United States. The 1946 Aleutian earthquake tsunami killed 96 people in Hilo and prompted construction of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center; the 1960 Chilean earthquake tsunami killed 61 more in Hilo and wiped out the downtown waterfront. That institutional and community memory made evacuation swift and well-practiced when the magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck offshore Maule, Chile at 3:34 AM HST on February 27, 2010. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued its tsunami warning for Hawaii at approximately 4:00 AM HST -- more than five hours before estimated wave arrival -- giving Hilo ample time to evacuate. Civil defense sirens began sounding at approximately 6:00 AM HST and Hawaii County ordered 40,000 to 50,000 Big Island residents to evacuate from low-lying zones. Downtown Hilo was described as empty within hours. UH Hilo evacuated its campus facilities in tsunami evacuation zones, with students and staff moving to higher ground or inland sites. The actual waves reaching Hilo Bay measured less than three feet -- a far cry from the 1946 and 1960 catastrophes. No injuries or structural damage were reported. Emergency managers and NOAA cited the 2010 Chile event as a validation of the upgraded Pacific Tsunami Warning System, noting that the long lead time and community preparedness enabled the smooth evacuation. UH Hilo's natural hazards documentation records the event as a reference case for campus emergency planning.
Analysis

Key Findings

UH Hilo's location adjacent to Hilo Bay -- site of catastrophic 1946 and 1960 tsunamis -- gives the campus and surrounding community exceptional institutional memory that accelerates evacuation compliance
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued its warning more than five hours before estimated wave arrival, providing far more preparation time than most natural disaster scenarios
Actual wave heights in Hilo Bay reached less than three feet despite originating from an M8.8 earthquake, illustrating the importance of following warnings even when outcomes are ultimately minimal
The 2010 Chile tsunami evacuation was widely cited by NOAA and civil defense officials as validation of upgraded Pacific warning infrastructure
Outcome
No injuries or damage at UH Hilo. Campus evacuated as a precaution per civil defense orders. Actual wave heights in Hilo Bay were less than three feet. The evacuation was widely praised as an example of effective tsunami warning system performance. Campus resumed normal operations after warnings were lifted.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    February 27, 2010 Tsunami (UH Hilo Natural Hazards)
    hilo.hawaii.edu
  2. Source
    2010 Chile earthquake (Wikipedia)
    en.wikipedia.org
  3. News
    Tsunami Warning: Sirens Put Hawaii on Alert Ahead of Waves (ABC News)
    abcnews.go.com
  4. News
    Chile quake 2010: Tsunami warning system worked as intended (Christian Science Monitor)
    csmonitor.com
Tags
tsunamiearthquakehawaiihilohilo-baypacific-tsunami-warningchile-earthquakecampus-evacuationcivil-defensenatural-disasterthin-state-hi
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion