Woman from Colorado recounts scary moments amid Hawaii tsunami warning
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - As big waves slammed the Hawaiian islands Tuesday night, thousands of families prepared for the worst. One woman, originally from Colorado, told KRDO about the nail-biting experience waiting out her first tsunami warning.
Nicey Jimenez told us her first instinct was to keep her little cousins calm despite the reality that she didn’t know what was going to happen.
“I was scared, so I was like ‘I have to hide that I’m scared and not make it obvious,’” she explained.
Nicey traded in the dry mountain-sides of Colorado for the lush seaside of Kailua, just outside of Honolulu, a few years back.
Since then, she’s been loving the beachfront life.
It came with virtually no downside, until Tuesday night.
“I kept getting text message after text message from people on the mainland like ‘are you okay?!’” she shared.
Nicey watched as continuous warnings popped up on her phone. Meanwhile, she was texting friends in her area, making sure they were safe.
“And then the sirens would go off like every hour before [the waves hit],” she continued.
Growing up, Nicey wasn't worried about a threat like this.
“Very different from Colorado,” she nervously laughed.
Here’s what she said when we asked if she plans to move back to the Centennial State after the jump scare:
“No, I don’t think so. I like it out here,” she said. “Natural disasters happen everywhere, but I don’t think I should live in fear that something’s going to happen again, because I can’t prevent it.”
She’ll take this as a lesson and make sure she’s packed and ready to go just in case.
“Now I know what to do for next time to prepare better,” Nicey said.
Nicey told KRDO she has other family members in Hawaii who were forced to evacuate on Tuesday. They’re now back home safe.
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