An American army base on the Marshall Island of Roi-Namur suffered a heavy blow last Saturday. Erik Hanson, a soldier, was able to film how doors and windows were pulverized by sudden extreme waves and colleagues were pulled away by the current.
Thursday January 25, 2024 at 4:00 PM
It was an unprecedented situation that happened on Saturday. Giant waves, caused by a combination of wind, waves and tides, swept over the island and through the army base buildings. “I saw my friends disappear before my eyes,” Hanson testifies. “The waves just kept coming. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured and everyone was able to respond correctly to the flash flood.”
The damage on the island is significant. More than eighty personnel living on the base and dozens of other residents of the island were therefore evacuated to a nearby island in the Kwajalein Atoll. “A team remained behind to assess the damage and restore utilities,” said Commander Drew Morgan. “After that follows a long marathon of rebuilding.”