Gov. Neil Abercrombie said past responses to tsunami warnings show the state is prepared for such an event, but also urged the state, counties and disaster agencies to identify areas that can be improved.
"I have complete confidence in the capacities of various agencies, individuals and groups that have responsibilities with regard to a tsunami, both from the point of view of warning and the point of view of awareness," he said Monday.
Abercrombie was one of several speakers at a news conference to announce that April is Tsunami Awareness Month in Hawaii and to observe the 67th anniversary of the April 1, 1946, tsunami that hit the islands and claimed 159 lives.
"Part of the reason for having Tsunami Awareness Month is we don’t want to get complacent that we will never have a tsunami of (the) magnitude (of Japan’s March 2011 tsunami) or anything near it," the governor said.
"When we experienced that tsunami here in Hawaii, it turned out that our communications plan, our activities associated with who would take what responsibility in what sequence and in what time frame, was actually pretty good and that we were prepared.
"But we saw where there were some not necessarily flaws, but where the human dimension, the human factor came into it that we could improve upon, which is what we’ve been doing ever since."
The state has been working with individual communities to help them gain the "TsunamiReady" designation from the National Weather Service. The designation means a community has a tsunami hazard plan, conducts tsunami awareness outreach events and has designated tsunami evacuation routes.
Two Oahu communities, Kailua and Hauula, and one military base, Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe, recently received the designation. All county governments, along with Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Ewa Beach, previously were designated TsunamiReady.
City and state officials also urge the public to have an updated tsunami preparedness plan and disaster supply kit.
As part of the Tsunami Awareness Program started in 2012, state Civil Defense and the Pacific Disaster Center developed a kit to provide the public with easy access to tsunami awareness and preparedness resources.
"Tsunami preparedness is about self-empowerment," said Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell. "It’s about helping us help ourselves when bad things happen."
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Tsunami Awareness Program resources are available at tap.pdc.org.
