Traffic jams force city to rethink evacuation plans

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Officials elected from Waikiki and Kakaako stated that the traffic congestion on Tuesday during the tsunami alert was hazardous and could have been avoided through improved preparation.

In the meantime, the city is exploring methods to enhance its evacuation procedures. Concurrently, officials are looking into strategies to refine their emergency exit guidelines. At the same time, the municipality is evaluating options for improving its evacuation protocols. The urban area is examining potential improvements to its evacuation directions. Simultaneously, the city is investigating ways to upgrade its evacuation information.

The positive aspect is that the alerts arrived sufficiently ahead of time, allowing most people to evacuate before the waves hit.

However, for people in Waikiki, State Senator Sharon Moriwaki mentioned that it might take several hours to leave the beach area.

It was truly a difficult scenario on-site," Moriwaki remarked. "The key takeaway from that experience is that we must have a strategy in place for evacuation during emergencies, particularly near the coast.

Moriwaki listened as her community expressed their annoyance after being told to leave but ended up stuck in long traffic jams, particularly on the few roads leading out of Waikiki.

Traffic was similarly congested close to Ala Moana Center and near skyscrapers in Kakaako, where one of her voters stepped up, exiting her vehicle to manage the flow of cars.

"Where was the police?" Moriwaki questioned.

Law enforcement officers could be seen in their cars, utilizing public address systems to alert people on foot regarding the danger and restricting entry to certain areas designated for evacuations.

However, certain drivers mentioned that they did not appear to be stationed at critical locations to assist with the evacuation, particularly in Waikiki, where exit routes are restricted.

Former HPD deputy chief John McCarthy stated that traffic can be controlled.

"It doesn't require much effort to effectively close down Waikiki or manage traffic flow into or out of Waikiki," he stated.

McCarthy stated that gridlock, particularly during a crisis, poses significant risks.

"There is significant stress associated with this situation, which may lead to physical health issues for certain individuals or result in incidents like accidents and road rage. Therefore, could it have been managed more effectively? I believe it could," he stated.

Rep. Adrian Tam from Waikiki mentioned that certain individuals chose not to follow the evacuation recommendations.

It was quite frustrating due to the traffic and congestion," Tam remarked. "Most of them eventually chose to remain in their condos and move to a higher level.

Director of City Transportation Services, Roger Morton, stated that they made efforts to get ready.

"It didn't come as a shock to us that traffic turned into a major problem," he stated.

Morton mentioned that several organizations collaborated at the newly established Traffic Management Center.

He mentioned that they deployed officers to critical locations and adjusted traffic signals.

"The issue was, regardless of how much green light time we offered, if the traffic was moving slowly, it could be 100% green light but vehicles still wouldn't be able to proceed due to congestion," Morton explained.

In order to avoid another occurrence, Morton stated that they are considering modifying their guidance to individuals in an effort to reduce the number of people traveling simultaneously.

"Moving forward, our communication needs to be somewhat more refined—specifically, if you're in a secure location, remain there," he stated.

Morton observed that numerous individuals who were in secure locations chose to start traveling again, "but they decided they wished to return home, and that's, well, not a positive choice."

Morton mentioned that revised guidance might involve informing individuals living in tall office buildings or condominiums that they are secure on upper levels and should remain where they are if possible.

Hawaii News Now contacted the police department regarding their allocation of resources but received no response.