Tsunami

I’m sitting in a comfy pull-out bed at the Gauthiers’ house at 1:00 in the morning, watching the news and waiting for a tsunami to hit Kauai at 3:07 a.m. Tsunami sirens are blaring, airports are closed, low shoreline areas are being evacuated, and people are stocking up on non-perishables in preparation for mass power outages. Shikinah is bleaching her bathtub and filling it with water. There is already no AT&T cell service, and it’s likely that we may lose internet connection, which receive not from a satellite but from an under-ocean cable. By the time it reaches the shore of Kauai (the first of the Hawaiian islands to be hit), the tsunami is expected to be, at worst, a series of 6-foot waves lasting a few hours. The news channels are running a constant commentary including updates on weather conditions, interviews with officials, evacuation procedures, and a countdown to 3:07 (which will be 8:07, Ohio time.) The reporters say it’s a “wait-and-see situation.”

I had no idea the island was under a tsunami warning until I finished a documentary I was watching and did a quick facebook check before bed… my mini-feed was flooded with status updates (pun intended.) To quote a few:

“please pray for us on Kauai, and all the islands!”

“In line at Foodland prepping for the tsunami”

“Tsunami warning!!”

“Sirens...”

“well, it will be an interesting night. Hope nothing comes of this tsunami warning.”

“To mainland family worried about the tsunami warning - we're well above the evacuation zone, but pray for the islands' residents safety and for power and other utilities to either be unaffected or quickly restored.”

“Tsunami warning. I hope it doesn't hit! Anybody need a place to come, come over.”

“I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’ Psalm 91:2”

Evidently Shikinah had been trying to get ahold of me for a while to warn me, but my cell service had gone out. I got some information through facebook and various news websites, and quickly decided to go inland to stay with the Gauthiers’. (Mark Gauthier is the worship leader at my church, and they open their house to us weekly for Bible Study. They also happen to have four awesome daughters.) I’m sure I would have been fine at my house, which is on a hill on the north coast… but I’m glad I’m not there. My employer is away, and tsunamis freak me out. I have recurring dreams about them (I also have recurring dreams about kittens, my teeth crumbling, and demons. Separately. Not all together.)

So here I am, sitting in bed in the guest room at the Gauthiers’… watching the news and waiting for 3:07.

We’ll see what happens.