After a 7.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, Hawaii residents were initially informed that it would not affect the islands. Shortly afterwards, however, a tsunami warning was issued accompanied by calls for evacuation.

Launched into panic mode, people rushed out of their homes to fill their cars with gas and stock up on water, resulting in traffic back-ups and accidents across the island. Congestion on the roads was so severe that drivers were advised to get out of their cars and evacuate to higher ground at the estimated time of arrival of the tsunami.

When large tidal waves failed to hit the shores of the islands, residents began to criticize precautions taken by the government. The emergency warnings caused distress, and the lack of high tsunami waves resulted in what looked like an overreaction.

This is the second tsunami scare in the past two years which has not resulted in much damage. Seemingly unfazed by the potential danger, some residents and visitors stood at the shoreline waiting for the waves to roll in. Some people do not take the warnings seriously because of the lack of real damage in the recent past.

What residents fail to realize is the severity of the situation if a tsunami had actually hit the Hawaiian Islands. The government is often blamed for both lack of preparation and “overreaction,” but any precautions taken are for the safety of the people.

Similarly, some victims of Superstorm Sandy did not take warnings seriously when told to evacuate. As a result, the hurricane did severe damage to homes and killed 85. Despite repeated calls to evacuate areas, residents who had not suffered the effects of storms in 74 years, remained to protect their possessions. Many died in their own homes.

Lack of experience and naive attitudes led to an underreaction of individuals, believing they could outwit a natural disaster. Unwilling to believe the storm was serious, people took unnecessary risks of staying in their homes and drowned as a result. No material possession is worth injury or death, yet the so-called inconvenience of evacuation prevented individuals from putting their well-being first.

Hawaii is lucky nothing disastrous has occurred recently like Superstorm Sandy, and residents and visitors should be thankful for the near misses as well as the opportunities to better prepare and information gained through these experiences. We must take warnings seriously. The next disaster could be real.