LIHU‘E — “Ho‘omakau-kau,” the Hawaiian word for “get ready,” is usually heard from the lips of kumu hula directing his or her dancers.

But as the threat of a tsunami danced in the Pacific south of Kaua‘i Tuesday morning, and rumors flew of public schools closing when they did not, and the Wal-Mart parking lot quickly filled up, the Hawaiian version of the Boy Scout motto “be prepared” took on some real-time immediacy.

Public schools in the tsunami inundation zone are Kekaha, Waimea Canyon, Waimea High and Hanalei. Officials there were planning to evacuate should the Civil Defense sirens have sounded for a suspected destructive wave heading this way.

Down in Po‘ipu, likely the first area to be impacted if a tsunami or catastrophic waves were to hit Kaua‘i if triggered by a quake south of the state, evacuation plans are in place that would have been initiated by a telephone call from Kaua‘i County Civil Defense to the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort & Spa, according to the Po‘ipu Beach Resort Association.

Hyatt officials would call the PBRA office, then a telephone tree would be activated to let all members know the latest information, according to PBRA.

E-mails went out early Tuesday morning to PBRA members from PBRA staff once information about Tuesday’s 8.0 undersea earthquake near American Samoa  became known.

Virtually all of the South Shore coastal resorts and residences, as well as Po‘ipu Beach Park and Spouting Horn Park, are within the tsunami evacuation zone.

Maps and information on tsunami evacuation routes and inundation zones can be found beginning on page 29 of the 2009-10 Hawaiian Telcom phone book.

All of Hanalei town would be forced to evacuate should a tsunami warning be issued, according to information found there. The U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility is also in an inundation zone, as is Niumalu and the Eastside Coconut Coast resort areas makai of Kuhio Highway, which would similarly face evacuation if a tsunami warning were issued for Kaua‘i.

Efforts to reach Mark Marshall, Kaua‘i County Civil Defense administrator, for comment on the need to be prepared for natural disasters like tsunamis were unsuccessful by press time.

Mary Daubert, county public information officer, offered the county’s online natural-disaster-preparedness link, www.kauai.gov/Government/Departments/CivilDefenseAgency/NaturalDisastersampPreparation/tabid/76/Default.aspx#tsunamis_1.

In addition to tsunami-preparedness tips, there is also information on planning for evacuation and actual evacuation should it become ordered and necessary.

The earthquake and tsunami that ravaged Samoa and American Samoa prompted officials in Hawai‘i to take precautions against possible devastating flooding as some residents prayed that loved ones in their homeland survived.

At the American Samoa government office in Honolulu, the telephones were ringing constantly as Samoans in Hawai‘i and on the Mainland inquired about the aftereffects of the tsunami. Some in Hawaii frantically texted and e-mailed family members back home.

Hawaii and much of the rest of the Pacific were placed under tsunami advisories for a few hours Tuesday following the earthquake. The warnings and watches were canceled by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu after the threat of a tsunami subsided.

Still, the center said sea level changes and strong currents could occur along Hawai‘i’s coasts, posing a hazard to swimmers and boaters. As a precaution, a couple of schools closed because of their proximity to the shoreline.

The American Samoa government office’s handful of staff members were having the same trouble as everyone else trying to get through to their homeland. Telephone service to the island was spotty at best.

The governor of American Samoa, Togiola T.A. Tulafono, who was in Honolulu to discuss economic development and ocean policy, said at a press conference that there appeared to be “fairly major damage” to the western and southern sides of the island, but little if any on the northern side. He said several landslides had been reported, including one near the governor’s mansion.

The governor was to board one of two Coast Guard planes Tuesday night that will ferry emergency supplies to American Samoa.

Hawaiian Airlines announced it intended to operate its next flight from Honolulu to American Samoa on Thursday evening as scheduled, pending confirmation of conditions at Pago Pago International Airport. The airport was closed to commercial flights after the disaster.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor in Los Angeles said the airport’s runways were closed because of widespread debris, but one was to be cleared Tuesday afternoon for emergency use.

“While we were fortunate that a tsunami did not affect Hawai‘i, today’s tsunami watch and the unusual ocean currents and sea level changes in Hawai‘i coastal waters are reminders of the importance for all Hawai‘i residents and businesses to be prepared and to heed the warning of civil defense and safety officials,” Gov. Linda Lingle said in a statement.

“Today’s events in Samoa come as our neighbors in the Philippines are struggling to recover from deadly flooding and landslides in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ketsana,” she said. “The Hawai‘i National Guard is assisting in Philippine relief efforts, and the people of Hawai‘i are once again opening their hearts with generous donations to help the victims.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

• Paul C. Curtis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com