Due to a potential tsunami caused by an earthquake in Kamchatka, Russia, the U.S. Army and Navy Command have opened Kolekole Pass in Honolulu, Hawaii, for evacuation.
The Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (JBPHH) reported about this on their official Facebook page.
The pass is located within Schofield Barracks, a U.S. Army base home to the 25th Infantry Division.
Soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Engineer Battalion built the road through Kolekole Pass in 1937.
Since then, this logistical route has belonged to the U.S. military, and access for civilians or transit through it is prohibited except in special cases.
Sometimes the pass is opened to the public on certain weekends, often for hiking. The dates are usually announced one to two weeks in advance on the official pages of military units in Hawaii.
The route from the Lualualei Naval Road to Lyman Road is now available for emergency use and can be used by residents as an alternative evacuation route.
Drivers are advised to exercise extreme caution and follow all posted signs and instructions from military personnel and emergency responders.
Access through Kolekole Pass will remain open until emergency management authorities give permission to close it.
The U.S. Coast Guard in Honolulu has issued an evacuation order for commercial vessels from Hawaiian ports, with all harbors closed to incoming traffic.
Additionally, due to the tsunami threat, an immediate evacuation has been declared for nearly the entire island of Oahu.
A powerful earthquake struck Kamchatka earlier this morning. The U.S. Geological Survey has estimated its magnitude at 8.8.
