Suburbanites in Hawaii relieved tsunami wasn’t worse

Suburban natives who are in Hawaii are relieved this morning that the tsunami that hit the islands was smaller than expected.

Originally braced for swells up to 8 feet, 2- to 3-foot swells washed up on shore in Hawaii, wiping out beaches and causing damage to lower lying areas, eyewitnesses said.

“I’m glad it turned out to be milder than expected,” said Katlynn Hoy, an 18-year-old from Fox Lake who is living with her husband on the Kaneohe Bay Marine Base on Oahu.

“It was pretty scary there for awhile, a little unnerving because we never get anything like this in Fox Lake.”

Hoy and her husband, Mason, a Marine, first heard evacuation sirens at 10 p.m., Hawaii local time.

The Kaneohe Bay base is only minutes from the coastline of Oahu. As rescue workers evacuated the coastline last night, Hoy was taken to the base officer’s club.

As of 9 a.m. Chicago time, Hoy has since returned to her home on the base. She said she didn’t see any real damage on the coastline aside from some of the beaches being washed out.

She moved to Hawaii about three months ago after marrying Mason.

Meanwhile, Kelly Bolyard and her husband, Jeff, were vacationing in a condo on the beaches of Kauai when they evacuated the area late last night.

They are now sitting in their rental car outside of a cafe on higher ground.

“We were told to stay out until about 7 a.m. (Hawaii time) because it’s unclear if this is the worst of it or if the water will rise more,” she said.

The Bolyards, who live in Elgin, have been vacationing on a condo about 30 feet from the ocean. They packed up quickly and got out before the evacuation rush.

“We left, got gas, then parked here,” said Bolyard, the director of digital development for the Daily Herald. “They warned us that there would be an increased surge, but that’s about it. But, we’ll hole up here until we are told we can return.”

Damage estimates in Hawaii are unclear at this point.