When the State Civil Defense officials have issued a tsunami warning for the state of Hawaii following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake near the Queen Charlotte Islands off the coast of British Columbia on Saturday evening (October 27, 2012), my husband and I were glued to our TV, praying for everybody’s safety.

At the same time, tens of millions of East Coast residents have been preparing for Hurricane Sandy, which is said to landfall as the largest storm to hit the United States, with the onslaught of battering winds, flooding and even heavy snow.

We are fortunate to live outside of the Tsunami Evacuation/Inundation Zone so there was no immediate need for us to evacuate. Still, we were as vigilant as everybody else, and were keeping our eyes peeled on the news, specially when the sirens started blaring all over the state of Hawaii.

At around 1:04am, Hawaii time, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center downgraded the tsunami warning to a tsunami advisory, allowing residents who were evacuated from coastal inundation zones to return to their homes. By 4am, scientists at the center canceled the advisory after determining that tsunami wave heights had fallen below advisory levels and would continue to diminish.

Finally, we can heave a sigh of relief!

We continue to pray for our family, friends and everybody in the East Coast for Superstorm Sandy’s onslaught. Wherever you are right now, whatever circumstance you are in, just trust that everything will be alright.