This year marks 79 years since the 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake generated deadly tsunami waves that caused widespread devastation across the state. As Hawaii transitions from Tsunami Awareness Month in April to the start of hurricane season on June 1, Gov. Josh Green encourages residents and visitors to view the 2025 Hawaii Tsunami Preparedness Video that could save lives.

What You Need To Know

  • Residents still remember the devastation caused by the tsunami waves that reached over 50 feet in areas across the state in 1946 causing widespread destruction — 158 deaths, 163 injuries, 488 buildings demolished and 936 other structures damaged

  • Over time, a total of 32 tsunami have impacted Hawaii causing 293 deaths and $625 million in damage

  • “Tsunamis can occur anywhere, at any time, as there is no tsunami season. Residents must always be prepared to take action,” said Laura Kong, director of NOAA’s International Tsunami Information Center

  • The 2025 Hawaii Tsunami Preparedness Video is a critical part of these messages

Produced by the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program in collaboration with the Hawaii State Department of Education and various partners, the video essentially provides a “one-stop shop” for evacuation information and preparation for other hazards.

“The short video was designed to put in one place all the information families need to create scientifically based evacuation plans based on their evacuation zone, whether at home, work or school,” said Dennis Hwang, faculty at Hawaii Sea Grant, in a release.

“The video will also help families prepare for other hazards since it covers emergency communication apps with the emergency management agency for each county, the all-hazard outdoor warning siren system, and evacuation kits,” Hwang said.

Residents still remember the devastation caused by the tsunami waves that reached over 50 feet in areas across the state in 1946. The tsunami caused widespread destruction — 158 deaths, 163 injuries, 488 buildings demolished and 936 other structures damaged.

Over time, a total of 32 tsunami have impacted Hawaii causing 293 deaths and $625 million in damage.

“Tsunamis can occur anywhere, at any time, as there is no tsunami season. Residents must always be prepared to take action,” said Laura Kong, director of NOAA’s International Tsunami Information Center. “Locally, we might have only minutes. The 1975 Kalapana earthquake generated a local tsunami that quickly flooded the campground at Halape, where a boy scout troop was camping, killing two.”

Because of the unpredictable nature of tsunamis, the counties of Kauai, Maui, Honolulu and Hawaii Island are working with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and International Tsunami Information Center, Pacific Tsunami Museum, Hawaii Sea Grant, and federal and state partners to create coordinated warnings and public messaging.

The 2025 Hawaii Tsunami Preparedness Video is a critical part of these messages. It covers tsunami science, evacuation kits, emergency communications with county apps and more. Access more tsunami information, facts for each county, and resources on the National Weather Service website.

Green proclaimed April as Tsunami Awareness Month in Hawaii in 2024. “I strongly encourage every resident of Hawaii and every visitor to watch this free resource, which could potentially save their life or the life of a family member,” said Green. “Every resident should also sign up for their respective county’s applicable emergency notification app. I have asked all state department heads to highly encourage their employees to watch the video and encourage all government and business leaders to do the same.”