Free The Tsunami Countdown by Boyd Morrison

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     a massive unnecessary evacuation. The internal NOAA investigations into why he ignored long-established procedures. The political
     reprisals condemning yet another federal employee who couldn’t handle the position. As Kai thought about it, the retaliatory
     consequences became clear to him. His tenure would be cut short by what would be seen as a lack of judgment, that he didn’t
     have the experience for the job.
    On the other hand, something deep down was telling him that this wasn’t just a power disruption. He couldn’t pinpoint where
     the cognitive dissonance was coming from, the subtle clash of information that was telling his subconsciousmind it didn’t fit together. Logically, there was little reason to be worried about a major tsunami. But they couldn’t rule
     it out, either, and that’s what scared him the most.
    In the end, Kai’s choice simply came down to what was best for his family. His daughter was on the beach that morning. His
     wife was in a hotel no more than a hundred yards from the ocean. He could live with losing his job because he made a poor
     decision; he couldn’t live with himself if his wife and daughter died because he made a poor decision.
    “We’ve already waited thirty minutes,” Kai said softly. “We can’t wait any longer.” His doubt made him sound unconvincing.
     When Kai realized Reggie and Brad were looking at him, hoping to see confidence, he cleared his throat and stood up straighter.
     “Reggie, send out the warning. I’ll get on the phone and talk to the duty officer over at Hawaii State Civil Defense.” Like
     the PTWC, HSCD would be minimally staffed on a holiday.
    “Are you sure?” Reggie said. “We’ve got even less to go on than the one we issued last year.”
    A mixture of concern and support etched Brad’s face. Even as a bystander, he knew this was a tough call.
    But Kai’s moment of hesitation was over. He couldn’t let his misgivings influence others, diminishing the sense of urgency
     about the evacuation. If a real tsunami was coming, they needed to act quickly and decisively.
    “I’m sure. Do it. Issue the warning.”
    “Okay,” Reggie said. “I’m glad it’s your call. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.”
    Reggie went to the computer and started typing in the commands that would issue a tsunami warning to every government agency
     in the Pacific. Kai had just made a $50 million decision.

TWELVE
    10:01 a.m
.
1 Hour and 21 Minutes to Wave Arrival Time
    K ai called Hawaii State Civil Defense and the officer on duty, a junior staffer named Brian Renfro, answered the phone immediately.
     “Brian, this is Kai Tanaka over at PTWC. I need to speak to Jim Dennis.” Dennis, the vice director of HSCD, was the person
     who normally made the big decisions there and coordinated all the efforts of the state’s emergency services.
    “Sorry, Kai, he took the weekend to visit some friends on Kauai. It’s just me and a couple of others here today. What’s wrong?”
    On a normal working day, HSCD would have up to thirty people on staff. He knew Renfro from the first semiannual training scenario
     he had participated in. Renfro was a bright kid, but young, not much older than twenty-five. Kai could only hope that Renfro’s
     thorough training at HSCD would prepare him for what was aboutto happen. He was about to get a big dose of responsibility.
    At least Renfro was in a safer location than Kai. Rather than being built three hundred yards from the ocean like the PTWC
     was, HSCD was well ensconced in a bunker inside Diamond Head crater. Because Hawaii was exposed to so many different types
     of potential disasters—tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes—the state took civil defense very seriously. Situated
     inside an extinct volcano with sides over six hundred feet high, the bunker could withstand virtually any disaster nature
     could dish out.
    “Brian,” Kai said, “we’ve got a situation here. Did you see the bulletin we