‘People fled for their lives’

The night was still, perfect for a good night’s sleep. In fact, a lot of people were already in bed by 10pm. The jarring sound, however, of loud voices on megaphones alerting people to a possible tsunami shattered the night’s calm, setting in motion the almost simultaneous rush toward higher ground.

“Tsunami alert! Tsunami alert! Everyone in the low-lying areas is asked to leave and move to a safer ground,” blared the disembodied voice, cutting through people’s sleep and jolting them from their beds. It was the police, making their rounds to alert people to danger.

In the dead of the night, the warning was sure to jolt anyone’s nerves. There was no time even to pack properly as people just wanted to speed away to safety.

But to where?

“Mt. Tapochau was the first that came to mind,” said Ofdelia Angeles, a 43-year-old mom who lives along Beach Road in Garapan.

She, along with her 11-year daughter, woke up due to a neighbor’s persistent and aggressive pounding at the door.

It was a few minutes after 1am.

“Let’s go! Let’s go! Tsunami is coming between 1am and 1:30,” yelled the neighbor.

In no time at all, they were on the road in a neighbor’s car, determined to get to Capital Hill before the 1:30am deadline.

Although they got there 15 minutes earlier than the dreaded time, the drive was not easy as everyone on island seemed to be thinking of the same destination, resulting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the roads leading to the hill.

So were the roads going up to Northern Marianas College and the Dandan area.

“We drove to Finasisu because it’s faster to go there than Capital Hill,” said an accountant, who fled her beachside apartment, along with five other girl friends.

Some people played safe by going to the airport.

“In case of evacuation, it’s going to be first-come, first served basis. We want to be first in line,” said a woman.

On Capital Hill, police officers advised motorists to park on the roadside rather than proceed to Mt. Tapochau, which is a few miles from the hill.

At 1:30am, the Capital Hill road from the Emergency Management Office up to the Governor’s Office and side roads were filled with vehicles.

Just as the people were waiting for an update, a police car passed by, announcing that the tsunami alert had been canceled and it was safe to go back home.

When the tension had subsided, people began to laugh and share their “panic stories.”

“I couldn’t decide what to put in my bag. I forgot to bring water. What I have here is toothpaste,” said Angeles, laughing.

Friends Cecil Ramores and Josie Dofredo said they made sure to bring their passports with them.

“Passport in case we need to be evacuated,” they said.

Merlie Tolentino and Babes Estrada, who joined friends in Finasisu, brought their laptops and a few personal items.
“I didn’t forget to bring milk for my baby,” said a young mother.
[B] Hotels keep their guests[/B]

No evacuation was reported among hotel guests.

Hyatt Regency Saipan assistant director for Food and Beverage Daryl Thong said the management decided to gather the guests on the 7th floor, its highest floor.

“There’s no panic because we told them nicely. We explained to them and they understood,” said Thong.

He said most guests were Japanese.

Larry Pascual, Aqua Resort front desk manager, said hotel staff had to wake up the guests.

“We gathered them at the lobby and they were to stay on the upper floor,” said Pascual.

He said police came informing them about the tsunami alert.

“Our guests were Japanese, some Americans. No one panicked,” said Pascual.

The tsunami alert came following an 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Japan Wednesday.

It hit deep under the Pacific Ocean, prompting authorities to issue tsunami alerts in Hawaii, California, Washington state, Alaska, and other coastal areas in the Pacific Rim.