Hawaiʻi Tsunami Evacuation Zone Maps

Tropical Moisture Brings Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall to the Southwest; Strong to Locally Severe Storms on the Plains

Heavy rain and flash flooding are possible across portions of the Southwest through Friday, where Flood Watches are in effect. Strong to locally severe thunderstorms are possible today across portions of the Plains. A tropical wave is causing heavy rainfall in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, which may cause urban and small stream flooding and landslides today. Read More >

Hawaiʻi Tsunami Evacuation Zone Maps

Hawaiʻi > Hawaiʻi Tsunami Evacuation Zone Maps

In 2010, Hawaiʻi scientists began investigating plausible worst-case tsunami inundation modeling scenarios along the Aleutian Trench. A gigantic tsunami generated in this source region would provide the least evacuation time, approximately 4-5 hours, for Hawaiʻi residents, making it the most dangerous far-field tsunami to prepare for.

Scientists found that O‘ahu, tsunami inundation from a M9.2 earthquake in the eastern Aleutians would far exceed the flooding observed in Hawaiʻi from past historical tsunamis. Independent geological evidence on Kaua‘i and in Alaska also suggested that such a tsunami was generated sometime in the past 500 years. In response to these findings, the City & County of Honolulu, in conjunction with State, Federal, and community stakeholders, developed an additional 2nd evacuation tier (Tier 2) for the Extreme Tsunami scenario, which represents a worst case, extreme, once in a thousand years tsunami event for the State of Hawaiʻi. The Tier 2 Extreme maps represent an unlikely worst-case scenario and do not replace the current, Tier 1 standard tsunami evacuation maps, which are based on historical tsunamis. These same studies were conducted for Hawaiʻi, Maui, and Kaua'i Counties, and 2-tier evacuation maps were found necessary and updated for Mau and Kaua'i County.

View and download Tsunami Safety Rules flyers, click here.
View and download Hawaiʻi Boater's Hurricane and Tsunami Safety Manual, click here.
View and download ITIC's collection of Hawaiʻi maps and posters, click here.