Abraham Louisiana

“Eighty percent of the shoreline in Hawaii does not
have a fixed base siren,” said Wing Commander Col.
Roger Caires. “CAP aircraft are the only resource for
issuing tsunami warnings where there are no warning
sirens or where sirens are inoperative.”
In addition to the warnings, CAP aircrews can also
direct ground-based rescuers by providing airborne
damage assessment reports. “There is no other agency,
governmental or other in Hawaii, that does this at this
time,” Caires said.
The wing has been in the business of tsunami
warnings for the past 50
“
years, said Caires, who noted
he’s been on board with the
mission almost all of that
time — he will celebrate 50
years of CAP service later this
year.
Even before the tsunami
warning mission was formally
put in place — and before Hawaii became America’s
50th state — CAP provided warnings of tidal and
coastal problems. When a tidal wave bore down on the
north coasts of Kauai and Oahu in 1957, the town of
Hanalei on the north shore of Kauai was spared any
deaths or injuries, thanks to warnings from the Hanalei
CAP squadron. Cadets who were practicing radio
procedures with state civil defense headquarters on
Oahu were informed of the impending tsunami, and
they alerted their commanding officer. He sounded a
siren and sent the cadets from house to house
throughout the valley, prompting 300 to 400 residents
to flee to Hanalei Lookout.
In the end, this latest tsunami was close to being a
no-show, and Hawaii experienced only erratic surges in
the sea, little property damage and no serious injuries.
Still, past tsunamis have accounted for more lost lives
than the total caused by all other local disasters in the
state, so residents treat them with respect. This time,
following the instructions from officials to head inland
to high ground, business owners closed their doors, and
residents and visitors emptied from this tourist state’s
normally busy streets.
The Hawaii Wing’s stellar response received effusive
praise from officials with the state’s Emergency
Operations Center and extensive coverage in both local
and national media.
“The tsunami warning function is central to CAP’s
role in Hawaii, and CAP crews are well-trained to
carry it out, with our aircraft stationed across the
Hawaiian Islands and all with predetermined routes to
cover,” Caires said. “I am proud of our members.
They again met the standard of being ready to launch
within one hour.” ▲
CAP aircraft are the only resource for
issuing tsunami warnings where there are no warning
”
sirens or where sirens are inoperative.
— Hawaii Wing Commander Col. Roger Caires
Proud to be a CAP member!
Phil Sales,
Senior Member
a private pilot
Phil Sales is so
who works for
new to CAP that
the School Bus
the uniform heʼs
Transportation
ordered hasnʼt
Safety
arrived yet, but his
Department in
pride in CAP is
Honolulu, was
showing.
interested in
joining Civil Air Patrol to tap into its aerospace
education program, which he wanted to bring to
prekindergarten students. With the tsunami warning,
he found other reasons to value CAP membership:
“Good news! I joined, paid my membership and
got my CAP ID! Thank you, CAP, for helping with
our shoreline evacuation public announcement. It
was great to see the CAP flight in action today,” he
said. “Now, I am truly proud to be a CAP member!”
Citizens Serving Communities...Above and Beyond
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