Local business owner stuck in Hawaii during tsunami

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – One local business owner and a familiar face was caught in Hawaii after the 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the Russian coast that triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific.

Some parts of the island saw waves reach nearly six feet tall, and evacuation orders.

Trent Bedding’s own Trent Ranberger is currently in Hawaii on a vacation, and he says from the area he was at, he’s one of the lucky ones.

“Speaking with some locals this morning, they said that Oahu being in the center of the islands wasn’t hit as much, but the Big Island was hit a little harder with 2 to 3 foot swells, maybe… which doesn’t sound like a lot, but they said last night the waves would be moving at approximately 500 miles an hour,” he says.

The tsunami warnings expired Wednesday morning, and now the main focus for Trent and many on the islands is making sure everyone’s OK and praying for those affected.

“Our prayers go out to everyone that is affected by it. About 15 minutes ago, the alarms went off and they have… they’ve stopped, I guess stopped the tsunami warning so to speak. So it’s kind of business as usual or I guess back on Oahu anyway,” Ranberger says.

Currently, no major injuries have been reported but News 40 will keep you updated as we learn more about the tsunami affecting the Pacific.