Massive Wave Inundates Marshall Islands Installations
A shocking video recently emerged from the Marshall Islands showing a huge wave crashing into the shore of Roi-Namur island, part of Kwajalein Atoll. The towering surge of water brought intense coastal destruction last Saturday, January 20th, 2024, primarily impacting American military infrastructure across the island. Kwajalein houses advanced missile testing facilities leased to the U.S. Army by the Marshallese government.
The impressive footage reveals the wave smashing into Dyess Army Airfield and Bucholz Army Airfield, also known as Freeflight International Airport, resulting in extensive infrastructural damages still under evaluation. Over 80 personnel evacuated Roi-Namur for medical services on Kwajalein Island following the flooding. 50 soldiers now work to assess and restore critical utilities and buildings.
Colonel Andrew "Drew" Morgan, Commander of U.S. Army Garrison - Kwajalein Atoll, described the incident as unprecedented in the base’s 80-year occupancy. He confirmed teams continue documenting destroyed facilities and equipment across Roi-Namur, with recovery efforts likely requiring months or years.
Meteorologists tracked the event to a remote Pacific cyclone that generated surging swell trains approaching from multiple directions. Upon reaching the waters around Kwajalein, complex interference patterns potentially allowed several sizable overlapping wave groups to momentarily construct into the remarkably tall mass of water captured inundating Roi-Namur in the viral videos.