HONOLULU (KHON2) — Haleiwa Harbor had flooding impacts following Tuesday’s tsunami. The harbor saw dramatic action with water dropping 10 to 15 feet.
Dramatic video showed water inundating the Haleiwa Harbor parking lot around 8 p.m. and then quickly receding.
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Many said they rushed to the harbor once they heard the size of the quake.
“It was chaotic over here because everyone had to pull their boats out and the traffic, a lot of people live on the other side and they were all trying to get out from the beach because they closed the beaches,” said Jacob VanderVelde, who works at Haleiwa Harbor.
Gridlocked traffic led to indecision on whether people should take their boats with them to higher ground.
“There was at least fifteen people doing it, taking boats in, and out, a lot of people took them out to sea which is smart and they waited it out, but it was a packed situation with all the roads being gridlocked,” said Kevin Wilson, owner of Ocean Outfitters.
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Once Wilson got the alert, he rushed to move his boat to higher ground.
Surges increased into the Haleiwa River once it was completely dark. Water was seen rushing under the Anahulu Bridge, or Rainbow Bridge.
Wilson said the water depth inside the harbor is about 15 feet.
Boats left tied to the dock got stuck beneath the dock and then surfaced again.
On July 30, the pier still had water on it from the night before. Mud was found throughout the parking lot, where many tour companies are located.
VanderVelde recommends boat owners check their hulls for possible damage.
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“The boats were down in the mud, so yeah they have to definitely check their hulls today,” VenderVelde said.
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