Posts Tagged ‘ West Coast ’

Newest Look Says Tsunami Debris May Arrive Sooner to Northwestern Islands

February 28, 2012
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University of Hawaii researcher and ocean current expert Nikolai Maximenko and computer modeling expert Jan Hafner say they think debris from the Japan Tsunami of 2011 may reach parts of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, the Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Sanctuary,  as soon as the next few weeks or the next few months.  Maximenko  says ocean currents have kept the debris at bay, up until now, but with shifting weather patterns, he says Midway Island and Kure Atoll may see debris sooner than expected.  However, he cautions that predicting the exact path of the debris is not…

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Hawaiian Airlines to Fly to Big Apple

November 17, 2011
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Hawaiian Airlines announced it will fly between Honolulu and New York City starting in June, 2012.  Hawaiian Airlines’ President and CEO, Mark Dunkerley, said adding New York is an important part of the airline’s growth strategy.   Over the last many years, Hawaiian Airlines has expanded their service to include many West Coast and Asian destinations. Mike McCartney, CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, said the new service will generate an estimated $156 million in visitor spending and $17 million in state tax annually for the state’s tourism economy. The new Hawaiian Flight 50 (named after…

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Japan’s Tsunami Debris to Hit US Sooner Than Expected

October 26, 2011
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Japan’s Tsunami Debris to Hit US Sooner Than Expected

(NEW YORK) — The devastating tsunami that hit Japan in March created lasting images of houses, boats, cars and entire neighborhoods pulled out to sea. It also caused a massive sea of debris — up to 20 million tons of it, all of it potentially toxic — in an area estimated to be twice the size of Texas. Now, seven months later, that floating debris is on a direct collision course with the Pacific Coast of the United States — and it might be coming sooner than expected. “Across the wide Pacific, the drift rate…

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Welcoming Ceremony for Voyaging Canoes Sunday in Hilo

June 19, 2011
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Welcoming Ceremony for Voyaging Canoes Sunday in Hilo

Those who love the ocean gathered at Hilo Bay Sunday to welcome paddlers who sailed seven Polynesian voyaging canoes from New Zealand by way of the Marquesas. The first canoe arrived in Hilo last Wednesday after 12 days at sea. Hawaiian voyaging canoe navigators Kalepa Baybayan, Nainoa Thompson and Ka’iulani Murphy were at the pier to greet the first arrivals.  By late Thursday, all seven vaka moana and their 120  crew members representing 10 Pacific island nations had landed. Sunday  there was a warm official Hilo greeting with canoe clubs, watermen, and cultural practitioners.   Before…

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Japanese Disaster Affects Tourism in Hawaii; Moody’s Cuts State’s Credit Rating

May 25, 2011
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(NEW YORK) — While known for its stunning beaches and beautiful flora, Hawaii’s economy has seen sunnier days. The state’s bonds were downgraded by credit agency Moody’s Investors Service, though they’re still at least a notch above troubled New Jersey, California and Illinois in terms of fiscal stability. Hawaii’s outstanding general obligation bonds were downgraded from Aa1 to Aa2 because of the state’s “strained financial operations,” the credit rating agency said. That will make borrowing more expensive for Hawaii, which already has $5.1 billion in outstanding debt. The Aa2 designation is one out of 10…

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Tsunami Month Commemorates Destructive 1946 Tsunami

March 31, 2011
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Tsunami Month Commemorates Destructive 1946 Tsunami

April is Tsunami Awareness Month in Hawaii.   The destructive tsunami of April 1, 1946 was generated by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in the Aleutian Islands.  The undersea shift at 1:59 a.m. April 1, 1946, generated a tsunami that raced down the Pacific at an average speed of 490 mph.  It crossed the 2,240 miles to Hawai’i in slightly more than 4 1/2 hours, with the first wave reaching Kaua’i at about 5:55 a.m. and reaching Hilo at 6:54 a.m.   This tsunami struck the Big Island of Hawaii with deadly force, and also caused damage on…

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Coast Guard Monitors Radiation from Japan

March 22, 2011
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Coast Guard Monitors Radiation from Japan

From a United States Coast Guard media release: The U.S. Coast Guard is working to ensure the safety of the maritime transportation system in the aftermath of the tragedy in Japan. Based on an analysis by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, there is no indication that harmful radiation will reach the U.S., whether it is the West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska, or U.S. territories including Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The U.S. government has determined that radiation levels outside a zone of 50 miles centered on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant do…

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Tsunami Debris Headed for Hawaii

March 21, 2011
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University of Hawaii scientists believe debris from the Japanese tsunami should arrive in the Hawaiian Islands in around 18 months.  Nobody knows how much of the debris will sink to the ocean floor, but it’s a certainty that much of the debris will form a large debris field traveling towards Hawaii and the mainland.  University of Hawaii oceanographer Nikolai Maximenko has developed computer modeling that looks at garbage patches floating in the ocean worldwide.   He says the tsunami debris will float towards Hawaii, then move on to the West Coast of the mainland before circling…

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State Health Department Monitoring Air Quality

March 14, 2011
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A Hawaii State Department of Health Release: The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) has not detected any elevated radiation readings, and air samples remain at ambient or normal background levels following a small release of radiation Saturday at a nuclear reactor facility in Japan. The release of radiation occurred from two nuclear reactors in Japan that were damaged in Friday’s earthquake and tsunami. The DOH Indoor and Radiological Health Branch (IRHB) is closely monitoring information on the radiation release, and with the current size of the release and the distance from Hawaii, no public…

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