A British woman on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise has shared the terrifying moment she and other passengers were told they were in “immediate danger” as tsunami sirens blared across Hawaii.
Rachel Burrows, from the UK, was vacationing in the Pacific and visiting Hawaii’s Big Island on July 29 when her peaceful trip took a frightening turn.
While returning from a tour of the island’s volcanic region, Burrows and others received emergency alerts on their phones, warning of a tsunami triggered by a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had predicted the waves could reach Hawaii by mid-evening, sparking panic.
Emergency services urged residents and visitors in coastal zones to evacuate immediately as waves over five feet began hitting shores. A chilling alert from Oahu’s Department of Emergency Services warned: “Take Action NOW! Destructive tsunami waves expected at 7:17pm.”
Burrows recounted that their tour was scheduled to stop at a local chocolate factory, but as they arrived, traffic suddenly stalled—a sign something was wrong. “Everyone was beginning to evacuate,” she recalled. The factory owner quickly told them to leave.
Back near the cruise port, Burrows described a scene of chaos, with sirens blaring and people running to board the ship. “We were one of the last groups to make it onboard,” she said. “Others were dropped off but didn’t make it in time—they were told to seek higher ground instead.”
After the initial wave threat, the tsunami warning was downgraded to an advisory. The Oahu Department of Emergency Services announced evacuations had been canceled, but cautioned people to stay away from beaches and the ocean due to lingering risks like strong currents and sudden surges.
Though the worst seemed to pass, officials warned that beach hazards could persist for hours. The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center later confirmed no tsunami was expected for California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, or Alaska.
The quake, one of the strongest ever recorded, set off alerts across the Pacific, including in Japan, Russia, Canada, and the U.S.