WAILUKU -- A tsunami advisory for Hawaii was lifted as of 11:26 a.m. Friday.
There were no reports of injuries from the tsunami that hit early Friday morning, but flood damage was reported at three homes in Kihei and one in Kahului, said Rod Antone, the county's communications director. The Red Cross was responding to assist the residents.
Major damage was reported at Maalaea Harbor, Antone said, with four boats sustaining major damage.
Article Video
Police shut down coastal roads during the tsunami, but as of 10:37 a.m., nearly all roads had reopened, including roads to Kahului Airport.
Mayor Alan Arakawa took at flight in a helicopter Friday morning to assess damage. He said he saw substantial damage to Maalaea Harbor and numerous areas where the tidal surge made at its way at least 100 yards onto shore. In places, highway jersey barriers were pushed aside by the surge of water, he reported.
Department of Water Supply Director Dave Taylor and Department of Public Works Director David Goode took separate helicopter flights to assess damage, the mayor said.
A Maui Fire Department crew also did an aerial reconnaissance at 6 a.m., but firefighters saw no evidence of residents in distress from the tsunami, Antone said.
He said he was on Puunene Avenue with county Managing Director Keith Regan and Deputy Communications Director Ryan Piros when the tsunami hit and brought ocean water as far inland as Walgreens at the intersection of Puunene and Kamehameha avenues.
"It was really amazing," he said, adding that they could see the wave surge approaching them. "Before we knew it, it was at our car. We had to jump in and take off."
Antone said officials from the Water and Environmental Management departments took steps to protect electrical facilities at water pump stations and at island wastewater reclamation facilities. As of 10 a.m., all those facilities had been returned to normal operation.
The county reported two wastewater overflows discovered around 7:30 a.m. Friday -- one in Paukukalo and another in Napili. The Paukukalo spill was of about 40 gallons from a manhole along Waiehu Beach Road fronting a pump station and a storm drain, and the other was of an unknown amount from a manhole on Lower Honoapiilani Highway, fronting a Napili sewage pump station. In both cases, the standing water was removed, and the area of the spill was disinfected.
County officials also received reports of marine life washing ashore in the Kanaha Beach Park area, he said.
People were picking up fish and octopuses from the road, he said. A fire crew was dispatched to pick up a 40- to 50-pound sea turtle and return it to the ocean.
