City and County of Honolulu releases Tsunami Warning After Action Report

HONOLULU — The City and County of Honolulu Department of Emergency Management (DEM) completed an After Action Report evaluating the City and County’s response to the July 29, 2025 tsunami event. The event followed a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula and prompted evacuation of Oʻahu’s Primary (Red) Tsunami Evacuation Zone.

An After-Action Report (AAR) is a structured review conducted after a major incident to identify lessons learned and opportunities for improvement. It documents what worked well, what should be sustained or strengthened, and recommended corrective actions to improve future emergency response and public safety outcomes.

The July 2025 AAR organizes its findings into three primary areas:
• Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Operations: How the City activated, organized, and coordinated actions and information through the City EOC.
• Evacuation: How the City and response partners supported movement of people out of the Primary Tsunami Evacuation Zone, including traffic coordination and assembly area operations.
• Public Information: How emergency information, protective action guidance, and situational updates were shared with the public and news media.

Additional information about the AAR, including key strengths, areas for improvement, and the full document, is available in the July 2025 Tsunami Warning AAR Fact Sheet.

Mayor Rick Blangiardi addressing the After Action Report:
“The July 2025 tsunami warning put our emergency response system to the test, and I am proud that through the incredible work of our City employees, first responders, and partner agencies, we safely evacuated everyone who needed to leave the tsunami evacuation zone. Most importantly, there were no fatalities associated with the evacuation.

This After-Action Report confirms many things we should be proud of. It validates that our emergency operations center activated quickly, our agencies worked together effectively, and our investments in tools like HNL Alert helped deliver timely information to the public. It also reinforces something I have always believed: every emergency provides an opportunity to learn and improve.

The report identifies several areas where we can strengthen our preparedness—from refining evacuation procedures and expanding public education to improving emergency communications and updating operational plans. We welcome those findings.

Emergency preparedness is never static. As threats evolve, so must our plans. We have already begun implementing many of the report’s recommendations and will continue working closely with our state, federal, private sector, and community partners to ensure Oʻahu is even better prepared for the next emergency.”