"Terrifying when the lights went out": Marshall Islands rogue waves video footage goes viral, sparks concern online 

Rogue waves crashed into a U.S. military site in the Marshall Islands, destroying infrastructure and compelling the residents towards emergency evacuation over the weekend, as reported by USA Today. It was not a tsunami but was driven by a combination of weather forces, wind, tidal cycles, and swell direction.

"On the night of January 20, 2024, a series of weather-driven waves resulted in significant ocean water inundation of the island of Roi-Namur," the U.S. Army told the news outlet on Tuesday.

The viral video from the calamity on one of the largest islands in the Republic of the Marshall Islands has garnered enough traction online. Netizens are even expressing concern over the well-being of the people living there.

In this regard, a Facebook user commented under @ABCNews’ post on the social media platform, describing the event as “terrifying.”

A netizen tags the high waves crashing in as "terrifying." (Image via Facebook/Jaime Filkins)

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“Oh my goodness!” Internet reacts to the viral Marshall Islands flooding video

The now-viral video, which has circulated across all social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and X, reveals dangerous and powerful waves striking the U.S. Army’s dining hall on the northwest side of Roi-Namur, Marshall Islands, breaking everything in their path, including doors and furniture.

It also knocked down people, as waves gushed into the building and the water level kept rising until the lights went out and everything became dark.

A spokesperson from the U.S. Army Garrison named Mike Brantley told Marianas Variety on Sunday that one of their own was injured but was stable and was being treated in a nearby clinic. So far, there are no official reports of missing persons or deaths.

In the aftermath of the cyclone-induced waves crashing, dramatic footage of it emerged on the internet and raised concerns for the safety of the people in the Marshall Islands. Here are some of the reactions in this regard from the comment section of @volcaholic1’s tweet.

According to USA Today, an Emergency Operations Cell was set up “to oversee and coordinate all recovery efforts” in the Marshall Islands, as evident from an update by the U.S. Army Garrison on their official Facebook page.

The post also informed how all their officials were accounted for and “non-mission essential personnel” (80 out of 120) were evacuated to the nearby Kwajalein Island, a missile testing range headquarters in the Marshall Islands itself, located 40 miles south of Roi-Namur. Currently, the people staying back are evaluating the “damage” and trying to “restore basic services.”

“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. Once the runway is open, we can move people and equipment back and forth to start the recovery process.” Col. Drew Morgan told USA Today.

As per the news outlet, one-third of the area is still inundated, and the infrastructure is badly damaged, including military quarters, dining facilities, a chapel, a theater called Tradewinds, a food joint called Outrigger Bar & Grill, and an automotive complex. The recovery mission is being dubbed ‘Operation Roi Recovery' and is expected to take several months to get back to normal.

Roi-Namur is located in the Kwajalein Atoll in the north of the Marshall Islands and is the base for the U.S. military’s space and missile defense test range, co-owned by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Department of Defense, and is full of advanced tracking equipment.