Local residents hear tsunami warning sirens in Hawaii, Peru

Friday was a nerve-wracking day for Marcia and Don Bracciano of Monroe.
Their daughter, 27-year-old Stephanie Bracciano, is vacationing in Kauai, Hawaii, the first island hit by the tsunami. It was reported that waves at least 3-feet-tall were recorded on the island.
“She is okay. She didn’t have to evacuate,” Mrs. Bracciano said Friday night. “I’ve been getting calls all day asking if she is all right. It’s been a scary day but I’m just glad she’s doing okay.”
Her daughter is scheduled to return home later today. As of Friday night, her flight still was scheduled to leave on time. Ms. Bracciano has spent the past two weeks on the island with her boyfriend, Peter Leix, and his sister.
“They’re both photographers so they’ve been posting pictures on Facebook,” Mrs. Bracciano said. “She said they heard sirens going off all night long but they didn’t have to evacuate. They were taking precautions and as far as we know right now, the tsunami has fizzled … thank God.”
Tsunami waves have been hitting Hawaii’s beaches in the aftermath of the 8.9-magnitute earthquake that hit Japan on Friday. Tsunami sirens sounded in Hawaii soon after the quake struck in Japan. The sirens woke people out of bed, and many tourists were moved to higher floors of high-rise hotels.
Joe Diaz, a Carleton native and former village president, is in Peru for humanitarian and medical projects. He e-mailed The Evening News Friday night about the tsunami warnings.
“People are filling up the cliffs overlooking the beach and Costa Verde, waiting …” he wrote. “The police kicked everybody off the Costa Verde road and all the surfers.”