Photo: U.S. Army
Massive waves caused damage to a U.S. military installation on the remote island of Roi-Namur, which is part of the Marshall Islands' Kwajalein Atoll. Erik D. Hanson, a diver stationed at the base, captured stunning footage as the waves knocked down the doors of the base's dining hall.
In a post on Instagram, Hanson said that the waves were not a tsunami.
"It was a combination of wind, tides, and swell direction," Hanson explained. "It also was right after low tide at a 1.2ft tide, so it could have been worse."
The U.S. Army said that the waves, which hit the island that houses the U.S. Space and Missile Defense Command's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, forced 80 of the 120 people stationed there to evacuate.
The waves caused massive flooding throughout the base, damaging the unaccompanied personnel housing, the dining facility, the Outrigger Bar and Grill, the chapel, the Tradewinds Theater, and the automotive complex, which remains underwater.
One person was injured and remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Officials said that roughly 60 people remain at the base as they work to assess and clean up the damage, a process that could take several months.
"Clearing the runway on Roi-Namur and assessing its safety is our top priority now that we have evacuated personnel not required for the initial response efforts," said Col. Drew Morgan, USAG–KA garrison commander. "Once the runway is open, we can move people and equipment back and forth to start the recovery process."