Saturday morning of the 9th March made for a very early and strange start for those on base at Rothera, I was woken just before 6am by the base commander telling me that we had received a tsunami warning. The rest of the base was roused a few minutes later by setting the fire alarm off in order to muster everyone in the dinning room for a base wide announcement.
Within thirty minutes we were loading up the Sno Cat with emergency supplies – medical kit, generators, fuel, food, stoves, clothing and had it sent up the hill, high and far enough away from base that it would be safe. Soon after we had an aircraft in the air – out of danger, and heading north to have a look around.
Andy releases a dove to bring back an olive branch
At this stage we began to get more information about unfolding events and an American tsunami warning system (aptly named NOAH) indicated that the wave was at least a couple of hours from us. So it was time for a cup of tea and to make some plans.
Ready to spring into action; Clem and Jonny – our rapid response team
We gathered everyone together again and updated them on the situation, then in the time remaining, five of the six aircraft on station were launched to keep them out of danger, a second Sno Cat with supplies was sent up the hill, and in the hour before we were due to be hit, the whole base was evacuated to high on the glacier to wait and see what happened.
Everyone on base is tallied out as they escape up the glacier to safety.
But as with all these things, for those of us with plenty of time to prepare for the worst, it came to nothing. The time of the wave came and went, so as it became clear that any danger had passed we allowed everyone back down from the glacier and onto station to warm up with a cup of tea. Our tide recorder had measured an increase of 20cm as the wave passed.
