Best laid plans subject to change

If a tsunami hit tomorrow, would you know where to go? What escape route to take? Or perhaps more to the point, whether you needed to escape at all?

The city has embarked on a yearlong study of its tsunami inundation zones — those shaded areas in the phone book maps — in hopes that you’ll know the answers to those questions without having to look them up. That means better signage, traffic management and established escape routes. All in all, a good idea.

Unfortunately, it’s possible that the city’s best efforts could become outdated. The evacuation zones are based on historic flooding data from today all the way back 100 years. But climate change and an unprecedented rise of sea levels could mess with those assumptions.

Donovan treated right at new gig

Jim Donovan, recently removed as the athletic director for the University of Hawaii-Manoa, has found some love at Cal State Fullerton, which held a news conference Thursday to introduce him as its new athletic director.

It was by the book: Fullerton’s president, Mildred Garcia, welcomed Donovan and praised his accomplishments at UH. Donovan made some remarks about his plans, fielded questions from reporters and was greeted with applause.

By contrast, Donovan’s replacement at UH, Ben Jay, was welcomed with a press release posted online on Dec. 7 — yes, Pearl Harbor Day. Otherwise, there’s been a veritable cone of silence over the whole business.

It seems a little odd; where’s the aloha? We hope that proper introductions are still to come.