The Conversation had a chance to speak with Gov. Josh Green on Wednesday morning to get the latest on the damage assessments across the state after Hawaiʻi's brush with tsunami activity.
“As of 9 a.m., we dropped the advisory, and damage has been very minimal, despite some pretty significant waves in Haleʻiwa,” Green said.
“We didn't suffer any loss of life or any significant damage, so we're feeling really good. And admittedly, this is a very disruptive kind of event, because people ended up in traffic, and it's difficult that way, but the main focus is to get people into a safe place, and that's what we did last night.”
Green added that the magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Russia had the potential to generate a huge tsunami, which could have harmed people and damaged homes.
The earthquake appeared to be the strongest recorded since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off Japan in 2011 caused a massive tsunami and meltdowns at a nuclear power plant.
"We were worried for a while that we could have had 10 or 12-foot waves that hit all of our islands, and that would have certainly harmed a lot of people that are unaware or living on the streets, and it probably would have damaged a lot of homes in the inundation area," he said. "So just really grateful, and people, for the most part, the vast majority of people, I think I said 99.95% of the people took it seriously."
He also acknowledged the traffic jams that resulted from the phone alerts and tsunami sirens in the lead-up to the first predicted impacts Tuesday evening.
“One of the things that we do, and it's intentional, even though it results in some traffic, and I get it, is that we have a series of alerts, so we plan this out beforehand,” Green told HPR.
Hawaiʻi residents and visitors in all four counties have since been cleared to return to evacuated areas.
All Hawaiʻi airports have resumed normal operations, according to the state Department of Transportation. Passengers may experience delays as airlines deal with Tuesday cancellations. DOT also said no damages have been reported on state highways.
The U.S. Coast Guard has cleared Hawaiʻi's commercial ports to reopen, and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said all state parks and small boat harbors have reopened.
With hurricane season underway and storms forming in the Pacific, Green said that people's ability to come together during crises makes Hawaiʻi special.
"I'm glad to get to do this job, but really, the job gets done because people are thoughtful about how we treat each other during crises, and this was one."
This story aired on The Conversation on July 30, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
