When I was a sheriff’s chaplain, I learned that the job of patrol deputies could be tedious at times. We used to joke that people became deputies because they like to drive cars fast and shoot guns. Then they find out that the job involves a lot of sitting in parked cars and that they discharge their weapons only at the practice range. A single shot from an officer’s weapon outside of the practice range can involve hours of paperwork. Another way that the job has been described is two minutes of sheer terror out of every ten years of service. Of course, those memes are all exaggerations. Officers have varied duties. Public safety can involve search and rescue, directing traffic, responding to accidents, and venturing out in severe weather.

I posted a note to our son last night that, for a while, it seemed as if the local sheriff had sent all of the deputies to the coast. There were plenty of marked sheriff’s department vehicles heading down the road along the beach last night. It turned out to be a test of the system to prevent death and serious injury from tsunami waves following a massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake southeast of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk. Tsunami waves can travel at the speed of a jet, but the Pacific Ocean is massive, so we had plenty of warning. The US National Tsunami Warning Center issued a general tsunami warning about six hours before waves were expected to reach our area. As time passed and the tsunami was observed, our area was placed on advisory status. An advisory means residents should move away from the ocean and stay alert for more instructions from officials. In our case, no significant flooding was expected. Waves were predicted to be only one foot or so high. However, the waves bring with them strong and unusual currents that can affect boats operating in coastal areas as well as in harbors, marinas, and beaches.

The deputies were given the job of monitoring the situation and ensuring that people on the beaches and in the marinas were informed of the potential danger. Since the waves were predicted to arrive shortly after 1 a.m. this morning, I suppose a few deputies worked a bit of overtime and missed some of their sleep. On the other hand, our beaches are generally empty after the folks watching the sunset have retired.

All of this activity is in response to an event that likely does not involve any significant danger. When the tsunami reached the Hawaiian islands, many areas experienced waves of one foot or less. Higher waves were experienced in some places, with a 5.7-foot wave in Kahului and 4.9 wave in Hilo. However, no significant damage was reported, and the earlier warning for Hawaii has now been downgraded to an advisory. The initial wave of a tsunami often is not the largest, and higher-than-normal waves can occur for hours after the initial wave reaches a shoreline.

Shortly before I went to bed last night, I commented that I hoped that they didn’t have to blow the tsunami warning sirens at 1 am. We have sirens located around the area that would be used to alert of an evacuation of the tsunami zone should a threat be imminent. So far, since we have lived here, we have heard the sirens only during testing. In those cases, they are blasted at noon, and announcements on a public address system advise that it is only a test.

Our house is above the tsunami zone. One of the assembly areas for those evacuated is located just around the corner from our home. Being someone who has lived most of my life a thousand miles from the coast, I doubt that I would be comfortable living in a house that is inside the tsunami zone. We have, however, gotten used to the blue warning signs and learned the evacuation routes for the coastal areas that we visit.

The earthquake and tsunami provide an opportunity to remind ourselves that there are forces in the world that are far mightier than we. We live in a protected area that generally feels safe, but we are not immune to the forces of nature. Although this particular earthquake and tsunami are not posing an immediate threat to us, we live within the Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes are more common than in other areas, and large tsunamis are possible. Having a warning system and a plan in place is as essential to coastal living in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California as it is in island places such as Hawaii.

There are quite a few individuals and families that live aboard boats in Drayton Harbor, a short bike ride from our house. I don’t think they were directed to evacuate as a result of the advisory, but I suppose it is possible. If one chooses to live aboard a boat, a plan for what to do in the event of an evacuation would be essential. As one who is new to coastal living, I am constantly reminded that there are many details that I have not yet learned about life in this place.

We are safe, and all of the folks around us are safe. Soon, the deputies will be reassigned to other duties and activities around the county. It doesn’t look like we’ll have any exciting stories to tell as a result of this particular earthquake and tsunami. I’m certainly comfortable with that. We will be camping with three of our grandchildren at a state park that is right on the coast for the next couple of nights. It is reassuring that the warning system works. We received plenty of notice about the potential threat and are confident that, should another threat arise, we would be able to take necessary action to keep our family safe.

Next time there is a warning, advisory, watch or threat, I will understand the warning system and know what those designations mean.