ROI-NAMUR, Marshall Islands – Massive waves caused significant flooding at a distant U.S. Army base within the South Pacific, and all the event was captured on video.
U.S. Army Garrison Kwajalein Atoll (USAG-KA) said a serious flooding incident occurred Saturday night on Roi-Namur within the Marshall Islands. A series of strong waves hit the dining hall, knocking doors off their hinges, tossing furniture around, and causing several people to lose their balance and fall.
Video (above) shot by Erik Hanson shows the moment an enormous wave breaks down a door, washing over people contained in the constructing. He was having fun with an evening on the Outrigger Bar & Grill when “rogue waves” crashed through the constructing.
“I saw my friends disappear right in front of my eyes,” Hanson said. “More waves kept coming. Everyone responded to the emergency scenario and thankfully nobody was seriously hurt.”
Officials say nobody was killed, and just one person was injured.
The National Weather Service in Guam had issued a High Surf Warning for the Marshall Islands from Saturday afternoon through Sunday for “dangerously large breaking waves of 10 to fifteen feet.” The warning also predicted some minor inundation along shorelines facing north near times of high tides.
Eighty of the roughly 120 personnel living on the bottom were evacuated. The Army relocated all Roi residents until services are restored.
“Clearing the runway on Roi-Namur and assessing its safety is our top priority now that now we have evacuated personnel not required for the initial response efforts,” said Col. Drew Morgan, USAG–KA Garrison commander. “Once the runway is open, we will move people and equipment forwards and backwards to start out the recovery process.”
The waves were so big that they damaged the bottom and two nearby airports on the Marshall Islands.
The island is the second-largest island of the Kwajalein Atoll within the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
“Roi-Namur represents the tip of Kwajalein’s spear,” Morgan said. “Roi residents are a special a part of the Team Kwaj family. The workforce and community have mounted a formidable support response. I’m very proud to be a part of Team Kwaj.”
What are rogue waves?
Rogue, freak, or killer waves have been a part of marine folklore for hundreds of years, in keeping with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), but have only been accepted as real by scientists over the past few many years.
“Rogues, called ‘extreme storm waves’ by scientists, are those waves that are greater than twice the dimensions of surrounding waves, are very unpredictable, and infrequently come unexpectedly from directions apart from prevailing wind and waves,” NOAA states.
Most reports of rogues describe them as “partitions of water” with steep sides and deep troughs, NOAA adds.
Rogue waves should not quite common, which is why there isn’t a whole lot of data on them, in keeping with NOAA. Researchers are still attempting to determine exactly how and when rogue waves form.
