Morinville fire chief in Maui

By MorinvilleNews.com Staff

Maui – What started as a family vacation for Morinville Fire Chief Ron Cust has ended with tsunami waves hitting his vacation location.

The 8.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan has sent tsunami waves through the Pacific Basin. Maui was struck with six- to nine-foot waves Friday morning.

“As a prairie boy and one that has seen his share of snow and cold I contemplated what it would be like to live for four to six months in a place like Hawaii,” Cust said in an e-mail Friday morning before the first of the waves hit. “At this time I am waiting for the Tsunami to hit our hotel. Before it hits it has struck me that no matter where you are there is something that mother nature does to remind us who is boss.”

The fire chief said he had offered his services to the Sheraton Hotel to assist should the need arise and Cust and his wife offered up their room to people on the first three floors who had been told to move to the higher floors.

Many roads and streets within the tsunami path have been closed.

MorinvilleNews.com will provide updates as they are available.

Update – Mar. 12 – Chief Cust contacted late Friday afternoon and all appears well in Maui other than some damaged boats and flooding.

Update Mar. 12 – Clean up was the order of the day with boats overturned and pieces of wharf floating in and out. Some areas saw the water come up and over the highway, The native islanders were unsettled with how erratic the ocean still is today with the water way out and the next minute right up to the highest point all day long.

The all clear was blown at 8:00 am with no access to the beach until late in the day.

We are in a tourist town and although I was up most of the night by 10:00 I was sporting a fresh newly designed T-shirt that proudly states ” I survived the Tsunami in Maui 2011″

So the cleanup along the shores continue as I am struck by the fact that on Maui the ocean brings income but also must be respected.