The April Fools-No Joke

Earthquake in Solomon Islands Generates Tsunami Watch for the Territory
"The National Weather Service in American Samoa issued a tsunami watch for the territory around 11 a.m. Sunday morning, following an earthquake that occurred in the Solomon Islands. At 3 p.m. local time yesterday the watch for American Samoa was canceled, according to a bulletin issued by the National Weather Service Office in Pago Pago.”-Samoa News the day after the warning (4/2/07). BBC news on the tsunami in the Salomons.

This would have been invaluable to know before Markus and I went kayaking in the Pacific between 11:30-1:30 yesterday completely oblivious to the dangers. I went for a run earlier and came back to report “great waves out there” to Markus and that we should take advantage of their presence to try “surfing” our kayaks. Which of course when I was actually out there I chickened out on because, "they seem so much bigger out here than what they look like on shore" and "don't the waves seem big today?"

After more than a month of continuous 93 KHJ “Samoa’s #1 Hit Radio Station” (of two), yesterday, of all days, we listened to CDs in the car. Therefore, no emergency broadcast system (oh THAT’S what that thing is for!) for us. It was only after I went to work and the nurses said, “Hey! What do you think about the tsunami warning?” that I found out. Apparently, warnings for major life threatening events are left to the Coconut Telegraph! With my mouth agape and my eyes popping out of my head I asked why there hadn’t been a siren or something. “There should have been. They were doing drills for months now.” Great. And where were the cops patrolling the beach telling innocent people putting in their kayaks to run, dear lord, run for the highest ground?

So in order to do my part in the apparently hugley lacking emergency preparedness of American Samoa, I’ve designed a warning sign for the likes of people such as Markus and myself. Mmmm. . . good thing that hand cranked radio/flashlight is on it’s way from Sierra Trading Post due in any day . . . Oh, and Markus would like to ad that he “still contends” being in the middle of the ocean was the best place to be. Ok, dear.