Eastern Iowans find Hawaii warnings similar to Iowa storms

CEDAR RAPIDS - The tsunami that hit Hawaii early Friday morning created concern and confusion for a couple of Eastern Iowans, but parts of the ordeal reminded them of storms in Iowa.

Dawn Thomas-Leiser, a Cedar Rapids native who moved to Oahu about three weeks ago because her Marine husband is stationed there, called her mother in Cedar Rapids when the tsunami warning came.

That call to Dee Thomas came at 3:30 a.m. Iowa time, and Thomas had no idea what was happening.

“At 3:30 when the phone rang, my daughter's on the other end crying, saying, ‘I love you, Mom,' and, ‘I don't know where we're going, but I love you. Got to go,' ” Thomas said.

Leiser said the tsunami sirens were going off every half-hour and she saw police and other emergency responders chasing people away from the shoreline. She also saw residents swarming stores, just like some Iowans do with blizzard warnings.

“They already had people trying to loot some of the grocery stores and gas stations. There's no places that have gas right now,” Leiser said.

Scott Wilson of Dyersville rode it out in his room at a resort hotel on Maui. Wilson said hotel guests were moved above the fourth floor as a precaution.

The whole thing reminded him of a tornado warning, he said.

“They probably had (the siren) going off every half-hour. It wasn't quite as loud as the tornado ones, but yeah, they had something,” Wilson said.

Ryan Kupka and his bride, Holly, both of Tama, are honeymooning in Hawaii. Kupka said they were returning from a luau when the tour bus driver warned them about the tsunami. Wilson said their hotel was 100 feet from the ocean.

“It only takes five and a half, six foot of water until it's over the streets, and I thought, ‘This is not cool,' ” Kupka said.