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TSUNAMIS
REMEMBERED:
Oral
Histories
of Survivors
and
Observers
in Hawai i
Volutn.e
Center for
Oral
History
Social Science Research Institute
University of
Hawai i
at Manoa
April2000
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Copyright 2000
Center for Oral History
Social Science Research Institute
University
of
Hawai i at Manoa
These are slightly edi ted transcriptions of interviews conducted by the Center for Oral History,
University of Hawai i at
Minoa. The
reader should be aware that an oral history document portrays
information
as
recalled by the interviewee. Because
of
the spontaneous nature
of
this kind
of
document, it may contain statements and impressions which are not factual.
People are welcome t utilize, in unpublished works, short excerpts from any of the transcriptions
without obtaining permission as long as proper credit is given to the interviewee, interviewer, and the
Center for
ral
History. Permission must
be
obtained from the Center for
Oral
History for published
excerpts and extensive use
of
transcriptions and related materials. Transcripts and cassette tapes may
not be duplicated or reproduced by any party without permission from the Center for ral History,
Social Science Research Institute, University of Hawai i at Manoa. 2424 Maile Way, Social Sciences
Building 724 Honolulu, Hawai i 96822.
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TSUNAMIS REMEMBERED:
Oral
Histories
of Survivors
and
Observers
in
Hawai i
Volutne
Center for Oral
History
Social Science Research Institute
University of
Hawai i
at
Manoa
Aprll2000
7/21/2019 Tsunamis 01
4/27
Copyright e 2000
Center
for Oral
History
Social Science Research Institute
University
of
Hawai i at
Manoa
These are slightly edited transcriptions of interviews conducted by the Center for Oral History,
University of Hawai i at Minoa. The reader should be aware that an
nl
history document portrays
information as recalled by the interviewee. Because
of
the spontaneous nature
of
this kind
of
document, it may
contain
statements and impressions which
re
not facrual.
People are
welcome
to utilize,
in
unpublished works, short excerpts from any
of
the transcriptions
without obtaining permission
s
long as proper credit
s
given
to
the interviewee, interviewer, and
the
Center for Oral History. Permission must
be
obtained from the Center for
Oral
History
for
published
excerpts
nd
extensive use
of
transcriptions and related materials. Transcripts and cassette tapes may
not be duplicated or reproduced by any party without permission from the Center for
Oral
History,
Social Science Research Institute, University
of
Hawai i at
Minoa,
2424 Maile Way, Social Sciences
Building 724, Honolulu , Hawai i 96822.
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T BLE OF CONTENTS
Volume I
AClrn'OWLEOOMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION STAFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
PHO'l'OGRAPHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
INTRODUC'I'ION x:xvii
TRANSCRIPI'S
Robert Y.S. Steamy Chow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Ronald Square Goya and May Goya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Minerva Saiki Hayakawa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Evelyn Lyn Kagawa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Riichi Hatada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
James
U.C.
:Low
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Laura Yuen Chock 299
Catherine Diama Campainha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Masao Uchima . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
Sadako Suzuki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
June
Mitsuko Shigemasa 439
Fusae Takaki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
APPENDIX
Chronology A-1
Select Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
Glossary C-1
Index D-1
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TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
Volume
II
A C ~ O v r L E I X J ~ N T S
v
RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION STAFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
v
PHOTOGRAPHS x
INTRODUCTION
x x vii
TRANSCRIPrS
Josephine Nelson Todd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
Alexander
M.
Riviera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525
Kimiko Kuwana Sakai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
551
Jeanne
Branch
Johnston
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615
Kapua Wall Heuer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 639
Leonore
K
VanGieson
.
661
Eloise
Ahuna Pung
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
681
Masuo Kino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
711
Bunji Fujimoto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
731
Marsue McGinnis McShane
763
Herbert S.
Nishimoto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
795
Albert
L.
Stanley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 817
Richard
Furtado
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 841
Harold P. Luscomb
Jr
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 877
Hayato Okino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 911
Violet
and
Tak.eshi
Hirata
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 945
James
T.
Ohashi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 977
APPENDIX
Chronology
A 1
Select Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
B 1
Glossary
C 1
Index
D 1
ll
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Acknowledgments
n addition to the interviewees and their families we would like to acknowledge the
contributions
of
the following individuals:
Pacific Tsunami Museum
Walter C. Dudley
Carrie Luke-Knotts
Donna Saiki
Susan G. Tissot
Lucille Chun
May Bradley Cook
Clarence Ferdun
Barbara Fujimoto
Juliette Furtado
Roy Goya
ikoHatada
Naomi Hayakawa
Frank Kanzaki
Kiyoto Kohashi
Wataru Kohashi
Jack
I
Miyashiro
Ruth Nakamura
Tom
Kiyoshi Nakashima
Glenn Okino
Harold Okino
Kiyoshi Okubo
Josephine Quinones
Christine Nakano Saiki
Susumu Shigemasa
John Stansfield
Chidori Nishimoto Uchima
Mildred Uchima
v
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Center
for Oral
History
Social Science
Research Institute
Director and Principal Investigator
Warren
S
Nishimoto
Research Coordinator
ichl KodamaNishimoto
Research ssociate
Holly J Yamada
Publications Specialist
Cynthia
A.
Oshiro
Transcript Editor
nd
Indexer
Karen Matsuda
Student Transcribers
Mirasol Budiao
Jona Goong
Randall K
Hironaka
Audrey Kawaoka
Stephanie Kuroda
Karen Matsuda
Lindsay Nishii
Jennifer Yamamoto
Student ssistants
harmaine
Kwong
Keaookalani Mattos
PROJECT ST FF
vii
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ix
op
left
Catherine Campainha
top right
Laura
Chock middle left Robert Chow
bottom left
Bunji Fujimoto
bottom right
Richard urtado
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xi
op left May and Ronald Goya top right Riichi
Hatada
middle left
Minerva Hayakawa
middle
right Kapua Heuer bottom Violet nd Takeshi
Hirata
bottom right
Jeanne Johnston
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xiii
Top left, Lyn Kagawa top right, Masuo
Kino middle Left James Low with father s
portrait
William Ing, Hawaii Tribune-Herald
photo); bottom
Left
Harold Luscomb
bottom right, Marsue McShane
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X
op
left
Herbert Nishimoto
top right
James
Ohashi middle left Hayato Okino middle
right Eloise Pung bottom left Alex Riviera
bottom right Kimiko Sakai
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xvii
Top left une Shigemasa top right Albert
Stanley
middle right
Sadako Suzuki
bottom
left Fusae Takaki bottom right Josephine
Todd
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X X
Above left
Masao Uchima;
above right
Lenore Van Gieson. All interviewee photos by OH
unless otherwise noted.
Below left Kuwahara Store
was
one of the few structures on the makai side of Kamehameha
Avenue in downtown Hilo to survive the 1946 tsunami. Pacific Tsunami Museum)
Above
Hatada Bakery rests on top
of a railroad car, Hilo, 1946. Hatada
family)
Above Kamehameha Avenue, downtown Hilo, looking south. Hilo Ironworks is in background.
What
was once Shinmachi district is
the
area on the right, 1946. Rod Mason)
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Right LaupAhoehoe Point,
prior
to 1946 tsunami. LaupA
hoehoe School ballfield is in
right foreground. Masuo
Kino)
Below left LaupAhoehoe
Point shoreline prior to
receding, 1946. Bunji
Fujimoto)
Below right LaupAhoehoe
Point shoreline receding just
prior
to arriving tsunami,
1946. Bunji Fujimoto)
xxi
Left View from Wa i-
nuenue Avenue toward
Kamehameha Avenue and
the ocean, Hilo, 1946. Note
approaching water engulf-
ing bus. Pacific Tsunami
Museum)
Below left
Kamehameha
Avenue, Hilo, 1946. Pa-
cific Tsunami Museum)
Below right
Charles
Mason home, eaukaha
district, 1946. VanGieson
family)
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XX U
Below
Damaged teachers cottages,
Laupahoehoe School, 1946. (Bunji
Fujimoto)
Above left
Laupahoehoe School grounds after 1946 tsunami. Main school building on the right
side was not damaged. The open
area
is the school s ballfield. (Bunji Fujimoto).
Left Men await the waves
at
Suisan Company
fish market, Hilo, 1960. (Pacific Tsunami
Museum/Hawaii Tribune-Herald collection/
Larry Kadooka, photographer)
Below left The waves collapsed Skippers Cove
Restaurant in Waiakea Town, 1960 (Pacific
Tsunami Museum/Hawaii Tribune-Herald
collection/Larry Kadooka, photographer)
Below right The tsunami deposited a boulder
in a street in downtown Hilo near the dam
aged Hobby House, 1960. (Pacific Tsunami
Museum/Hawaii Tribune-Herald collection/
Larry Kadooka, photographer)
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XX
ar
left
Parking
meters
near
Hilo
Theatre were
flattened
by
the
tsunami,
May
1960. NGDC,
U.S. Army
orps
of Engi
neers)
Left Cars were
stacked by
the
waves, 1960.
Pacific Tsunami
Museum/Hawaii
Tribune-Herald
collection/Larry
Kadooka,
photographer)
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INTRODUCTION
The Center for Oral History (COH), a unit of the Social Science Research Institute at the University
of
Hawai'i at Manoa, was established in 1976. Its major function is to research, conduct, transcribe,
edit, and disseminate oral history interviews with persons possessing knowledge about Hawai'i's past.
COH seeks to provide present and future researchers with first-person, primary-source documents
with which to write history from a diversity of perspectives.
COH also produces educational materials (books, articles, newsletters, brochures, etc.) based on the
interviews, presents lectures on local history, conducts classes and workshops on oral history
methodology for individuals and community/educational groups, and serves
s a clearinghouse for
oral history research relating to Hawai'i.
Tsunamis Remembered: Oral Histories
o
Survivors
and
Observers in
Hawai 'i
is
a two-volume set
featuring life history interviews with individuals who witnessed and survived tsunamis-particularly
the 1946 and 1960 disasters
on
the Big Island
of
Hawai'i. Thirty individuals-mostly residents
of
Hilo
and Laupahoehoe recall their experiences before; during, and after the
1946
and
196
tsunamis
which were arguably the most destructive natural disasters in modem Hawaiian history. Residents lost
loved ones and property or barely escaped death. Oceanfront communities, buildings, and landmarks
were swept off the map. Many businesses were forced to relocate or close down entirely.
When
I came down the street . the whole road, everything was covered with
debris. Every square inch was just covered.
There
was a house in
the
middle o
he
road. It looked
like somebody
had taken all the furniture out o he house and put it
underneath the house and sat the house down
on
top o it. And I wanted
to
go see it,
and they said, 'No,
no.
Don't
go
over there.' Well, o course I went anyway, and
there
was
an arm
in
the
debris.
The
reason
they
didn't want
us
to
look
was
because
there were bodies all over the place,
and
they didn't want the kids running around . .
. And
then we walked
over all this
debris.
It was furniture and sticks
and
rocks
and
huge
boulders and kitchen stuff, and
people and
everything. It
was the
most amazing
destruction
I've
ever seen.
Jeanne Branch Johnston
.
my
head just happened
to
look out towards
the
ocean . When looked
up,
I
couldn't believe my eyes because here was this huge,
huge
wave, nothing that I've
ever
seen
in
my life. It was like a wall ofwater that was rising
in the bay
and it was
just
rolling in
towards the building .
So
I turned into the service station to
try and
make
a
U-turn to
get out
o here
.
y the time
I got into that
driveway
o
he gas
station,
the
water had already reached
me and
I
was
still sitting
in the
car.
So
I
was
neck deep in water and half petrified because I didn't know
what
to do, you know, I
was in shock . . . and so I sat there for a moment
and
then
I felt
the
car
being
dragged out. It
kind
o woke me up so I immediately jumped out o
he
car through the
window "
James
t .C. Low
xxvii
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xxviii
"I didn't know the devastation that it could do really. It didn't dawn on me that the
store was completely wiped out until I went downstairs in the morning. And there was
nothing, not even a stick, not even a button, nothing in the store People were
very, very good.
They
came to help us; they brought us trucks to haul away whatever
we could.
We
did find some material underneath all that mud and debris.
The
trucks
took
em
out to Kolekole . . . and threw the material in at the top
of
the river and let
it run down and let the water clean
it.
And then
we
laid it on the grass, the lawn over
there, stretched out and dried it. And people
came
in to buy ten cents a yard, twenty
five cents a yard.
Evelyn Lyn Kagawa
"I looked out here and saw this great big black wall coming in like this
The
noise was terrific, the rolling You've heard high seas and rough weather. Well,
just triple that. And then you heard the screaming. You look and people were
stomping, trying to reach
eanh
trying to get out. Dogs swimming around.
Then
came
the crash. Well, it hit buildings, the lighthouse, and the railroad track and
everything. And the roar.
And
I said, 'Oh, that's good-bye to Hilo.
'
Kapua
Wall
Heuer
Background and Methodology
The idea for this oral history project came from a group of Hilo residents
who
were starting up a
museum dedicated to educating the public about the history
and
dangers of tsunami in Hawai i. The
group was composed of tsunami survivors
and
scientists
at
the
University of Hawai i
at
Hilo
researching
the
physical effects
of
tsunamis
in
Hawai i
and
other parts of the world.
The museum
came
to be known as Hilo Tsunami Museum, later Pacific Tsunami Museum. In addition
to
securing
funds to start and maintain the museum, the group sought photos, artifacts,
and
first-person accounts,
either written or oral.
The Executive Director of the new museum, Susan Tissot, contacted COH Director Warren
Nishimoto about the possibility
of
contracting for oral history interviews with thirty survivors and
observers of tsunamis in Hawai i, with particular emphasis on the 1946 and 1960 tsunamis, which
were the
two
most devastating
in
Hawai i
from
the standpoint of loss
of
life
and
property.
Although
these two tsunamis affected
most of
the Hawaiian Island chain the Big Island,
in
particular
Hilo and
its
surrounding areas, were the hardest hit.
To
help raise community awareness
and
increase
knowledge in Hilo about tsunamis, the museum invited Nishimoto to conduct
two
oral history
methods workshops. These workshops trained several Hilo residents
in
the techniques of oral history
and served as a starting point for the systematic and community-wide documentation of personal
tsunami experiences.
Beginning
in
November 1997 Nishimoto researched written sources on tsunamis
in
Hawai i. Most
secondary sources on the subject were scientific accounts.
James
F. Lander, United States Tsunamis,
1690-I988
and
Daniel
A.
Walker, Tsunami Facts provide basic background information on
why and
how
tsunamis occur. Another valuable source is F.P. Shepard Gordon
A.
MacDonald
and
Doak C.
Cox,
he
Tsunami ofApril 1, 1946, which provides a thorough explanation of the relationship
between earthquakes
and
tsunamis
and
links
the 1946
disaster
in
Hawai i
to
the
movement
of the sea
bottom south of Unimak Island off Alaska.
The
most
useful
source, Walter
C.
Dudley
and Min
Lee,
Tsunami , presents scientific analyses
of
tsunamis in Hawai i
and
elsewhere
n an
historical context
and
features interview excerpts from survivors. Nishimoto
also
consulted articles
in local
dailies,
including the Hilo Tribune-Herald, he Honolulu Adveniser,
and
Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
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xxix
Nishimoto then traveled to Hilo to meet with Robert Steamy Chow, a retired Hilo police officer
who witnessed and survived the 1946 and 1960 tsunamis. Chow, a participant
in an
earlier oral
history workshop and a founding member of the Pacific Tsunami Museum, discussed the project with
Nishimoto, displayed historical photographs of devastated Hilo, and shared a list
of
potential
interviewees developed
in
consultation with other longtime Hilo residents. Nishimoto also met with
Tissot, Dudley, and Jeanne Branch Johnston, another founding member
of
the museum. More names
of
possible interviewees were shared. Other names were provided by Hilo community members
contacted by Nishimoto as part
of
a snowball sampling technique. Emphasis
was
placed on gender,
ethnic, occupational, and geographical diversity.
An
attempt was made to interview residents who
were impacted on different levels, from onlookers with a clear vantage point of the ocean to those
who suffered the loss of family members. While all interviewees were impacted by either the 946 or
1960 disasters; some were impacted by both; a few also recalled other less destructive tsunamis on the
Big Island in 1923, 1952, 1957, and 1975. With the exception of James Ohashi's written account of
his experiences as a resident of Kaua'i during the 946 tsunami, all accounts in these volumes relate
to the Big Island.
Following untaped preliminary interviews, thirty individuals were selected for taping. Selection was
based on the interviewees' depth and breadth of knowledge, their ability to articulate life experiences,
and their willingness to participate
as
interviewees.
The interviews by COH director Warren Nishimoto and Big Island researcher/interviewer Nancy
Pi'ianaia were conducted at the interviewees' homes on the Big Island
or
O'ahu between February
1998 and May 1999. Each individual was interviewed in at least one ninety-minute session; most in
two or more sessions.
All
were interviewed individually, with the exception of Ronald and May
Goya, and Violet and Takeshi Hirata, who were interviewed
as
couples.
Because interviewees were asked to comment on experiences and incidents oftentimes specific to their
own lives,
no
set questionnaire was followed. Rather, a holistic, life history approach was taken,
creating biographical case studies centered mainly around interviewees and their communities. The
interviews followed a chronological format, beginning with the interviewee's date of birth, childhood,
neighborhood/community, education, and work,
and
progressed to recollections
of
the 1946 and 1960
tsunamis. At that point, interviewees were asked where they were situated as each succeeding wave
hit; who were with them at the time; what they thought, felt, and feared during the ordeal; what they
saw, heard, and smelled that day. The interviews then proceeded to deal with the tsunamis' aftermath:
the community-wide cleanup, damage assessment, identification of bodies,
and
reclamation of
valuables and other material possessions. Interviews concluded with assessments of the tsunamis'
impact on the community
nd
on their own lives.
The interviews were transcribed almost verbatim by COR-trained student transcribers.
he
transcripts, audio-reviewed by the researchers/interviewers to correct omissions and mistranscriptions,
were edited slightly for clarity and historical accuracy.
The transcripts were then sent to interviewees for their review and approval. Interviewees were asked
to verify names and dates and clarify statements where necessary. COH incorporated the interviewees'
changes in the final version.
Prior to publication, interviewees read and signed a legal document allowing the University of
Hawai'i Center for Oral History and the general public scholarly and educational use
of
the
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XXX
transcripts. In addition, each interviewee was apprised of his/her rights
as
human subjects
participating in a University
of
Hawai'i-sponsored research project. They understood that participation
in the project was completely voluntary, that they were not required
to
answer each
and
every
question, and that they could withdraw from participation at any time.
While not always entirely accurate, the aim
of
an oral history interview is the creation
of
a reliable
and valid primary-source historical document. To achieve this objective, the
researchers/interviewers corroborated interviewee statements with available documentation,
selected interviewees carefully, established rapport, listened carefully and with empathy, asked
thoughtful questions, and obtained permission from interviewees to use their real names, rather
than pseudonyms, in this publication.
Instorical ackground
Commonly but mistakenly called tidal waves, tsunamis, or literally
in
Japanese great harbor
waves, are sea waves generated by volcanic eruptions, underwater landslides, or seafloor ruptures
associated with earthquakes. Traveling at varying speeds, the ocean-going waves arrive on land
as a
series
of
coastal waves, sometimes seven to ten in all, the largest wave usually somewhere in the
middle of the set. Most common in the Pacific Ocean because of the large number of eruptions,
landslides and earthquakes occurring on the ocean floor, tsunamis have affected Asia, the Pacific
Islands, the West Coast
of
the United States, and Alaska. The Hawai'i-based International Tsunami
Information Center has calculated that, since 1813,
112
tsunamis have caused 385 deaths n the
Hawaiian Islands alone
The
Sunday
Star-Bulletin&: Advertiser,
September 6, 1992).
In the early morning
of
April 1, 1946, a massive earthquake occurred in the sea floor
of
the Aleutian
Trench, ninety miles from Unimak Island n Alaska's Aleutian Islands. Although the earthquake was
recorded on seismographs throughout the world, no one was fully aware that a Pacific-wide tsunami
was generated and heading directly for the Hawaiian Islands, over 2,300 miles away. The first wave
reached Kaua'i at approximately 5:55 A.M., O'abu at 6:30, and the Big Island
of
Hawai'i just before
7:00 (Dudley and Lee, 1998).
Except for the recession
of
water from Hilo Bay which exposed several hundred feet of ocean floor,
there was
no
sign
of
impending disaster. Many curious onlookers remained at the ocean front, some
venturing onto the exposed coral bottom
to
pick
up
flapping fish.
. . .
that particular morning it was a very strange-it must h ve been sort
of
a
grayish morning,
overcasted
sides nd
stuff
like
that. I can
remember that. And while
I
was
walking down, I came by Skipper s
Cove,
by Waiakea
Theater.
I saw this great
big
eel.
Not
a
little eel, big
one, look
like
one snake, eh. But
it
was
coiling
nd
coiling in the middle of he road, you
know.
And I
seen
water over there
on the road.
I knew something strange about this. But people w s saying, 'Tldal wave 1ldal
wave
No
go
school,
tidal
wave.
Alexander
Riviera
The waves inundated streets, homes, and storefronts
and
slammed into wooden two-story buildings along
Kamehameha Avenue
in
Hilo's bayfront business district, reducing them
to
splinters. Many
of
those who
were not killed by the force
of
the waves or the debris were swept out
to
sea by receding water. In
addition to much of downtown, the waves destroyed homes in the residential area of Keaukaba,
as
well
as
most
of
the low-lying, teeming residential area known
as
Shinmachi just north
of
the Wailoa River
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xxxi
Bridge. The waves destroyed a railroad bridge which spanned the Wailuku River, and cars
and
tracks
of
the Hawaii Consolidated Railway Company, forcing the company out of business.
Meanwhile, to the northwest, waves inundated portions
of
the agricultural Hamakua Coast. Hakalau
Sugar Company mill was destroyed.
At
Laupahoehoe Point, waves destroyed teachers' residences and
flooded school grounds, killing twenty-five people, including sixteen students
and
five teachers
of
Laupahoehoe School.
The wave
flipped
me over
and carried
me
toward
the
lava
rock
wall
that
rimmed
the
school. I recall telling myself, Gee, I m
going
to
die.
I m going
to hit
head first into
that rock
wall
and I m
going
to
die. ' But
miraculously part o the wave that preceded
me, smashed into the
wall
and broke it up.
So
I went flying through the wall, not
headfirst into a stationary wall, but I was rumbling along, rolling
along
with all
the
rocks . All I know is I was under
tons o
water and I
was
getting hit
by
all these
rolling rocks and debris, and I couldn t breathe. I
was
sixteen but I
guess
I knew
what
mortality meant.
-Masuo
Kino
In all, the 1946 tsunami killed
159
people throughout the islands. f this total, only 115 bodies were
ever found (Dudley and Lee, 1998). Homes, businesses, roads, railroads, bridges, piers, breakwaters,
fishpond walls, and boats were severely damaged. Property damage .totaled approximately $26 million
(Dudley and Lee, 1998).
The
hours and days following the disaster
were
filled with the horrendous
tasks of seeking and identifying bodies, locating valuables and other material possessions,
participating in the massive and time-consuming cleanup effort, and dealing with the hardships of
sudden homelessness and lost livelihoods.
The tragedy
of
April 1, 1946
led
to the establishment of a communications system to transmit reports on
earthquakes
and
tsunamis in the Pacific. In 1948, the Tsunami Warning System (TWS) was established
by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. TWS was in operation during the
1952
and 1957 tsunamis
which struck all the Hawaiian Islands. Unlike 1946, residents were warned
well
before the actual arrival
of
the tsunamis. Although there was considerable damage, no deaths were reported in either wave.
On May
21 and
May 22, 1960, a series of earthquakes occurred n southern Chile. On May 22, at
9:38 A.M. Hawaiian Standard Time, the Honolulu Observatory was notified that the earthquakes had
generated a Pacific-wide tsunami. Warnings were sounded several hours prior to the predicted twelve
o'clock midnight arrival
of
the waves. However, many residents failed to
take
the warnings seriously.
Not fully understanding the warning system, many who did evacuate during the day returned to their
homes that evening. The town
of
Hilo was asleep when, at approximately
1:00 A.M.
May 23,
tsunami waves struck businesses on Kamehameba Avenue and the heavily-populated residential area
of Waiakea, claiming
61
lives
and
causing $50 million in property damage (Dudley and Lee, 1998).
[Our building] was demolished.
Nothing
left. We had a lot o mufflers and pipes. We
had about 300, 400 pipes and mufflers. hey were all washed out
about
200 feet
up
the
road.
And then the building that we occupied, nothing
left.
And
we had
a big safe. Oh,
weighed about 300 pounds. Small, but
olden
days, the safe is thick,
eh?
We couldn t
find our safe. And
we
had lot o hings inside there . Later on, one
guy
said, Hey,
there s one safe way
up down
the
road,
'
about
200 or 300 yards
up
the road.
-Hayato
Okino
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xxxii
Later in the day,
we
were called
in
to a meeting
in
Hilo. The cleanup was going to
be a pretty large operation and there was concern that the state and county
just
didn't
have the manpower or ihe equipment to do
it
as quickly
as
it should have been done.
There were dead animals, dead people, all sons
of
reasons for getting Hilo cleaned up
as quickly as possible. So the plantations were asked to help These buildings
were all sitting there
like
jumbled miuchsticks. A regular steam shovel
had
trouble
picking that up. That's almost
like
a pile of sugarcane. Heck, we could just put a grab
down there and pick that
stuffup They
were also big enough that
we
could pick up
automobiles. . We could harvest those cars that were destroyed in that tsunami
Harold
P. Luscomb
We couldn't save anything, and when everything
was
kind
of
settled,
we
went to look
at
our building
. . .
nothing
we
could recognize.
. . . The
warehouse
roof
was flat
.
We
found some
cash
that we
had
there,
but
nothing else. After the tidal wave,
we
thought-/ said, 'Gee, what we going to do? But my husband, he had a very strong
mind so he said, 'We 'II run the business from our home at 'Ialani Street. ' So the
farmers came and they helped us
build-we
had
a four-car garage,
next
to that, they
built that building, temporary. And then we
had
a refrigerator
in
there .
Like
the
packaged goods, we ran from our downstairs. Everybody helped, my children, our
friends, they came and helped.
So
that's how
we
staned all over.
Sadako
Suzuki
Following the 1960 tsunami and massive cleanup effort, government
nd
private efforts were made to
help victims-residents
and
business owners-relocate
as
quickly as possible. Lands were made
available by lottery for victims to purchase houselots at low-interest rates. Many businesses relocated
to a newly-developed industrial area. Today, areas near the Hilo bayfront devastated
by
the tsunami
have been cleared for parks, beaches, a golf course, and greenbelt open space.
Other major tsunamis affecting the islands occurred in 964
and 1975. The 1964 waves caused
15,000 damage to Hilo and 52,000 to Kahului, Maui.
n
1975, an earthquake
off
the Big Island
generated 40-foot-high waves that struck the south shore of the island, killing two campers at Halape.
t is widely believed that
many
lives could have been spared had the public been more informed and
aware
of
the catastrophic dangers
of
tsunamis. Prior to the 1946 disaster, no organized warning
system was in place. Because
of the
widespread loss
of
life
and
property in 1946, a territory-wide
warning system was put into place and utilized for the 952 and 1957 tsunamis. The combination of
this warning system and
the
still-fresh memory of 1946 was probably the reason
no
lives were lost.
The successful evasion of disaster in the 1950s may have
led
to public complacency. Experts believe
many
of
the
6
people
who
died
on
May 23, 1960 could have been saved had they taken tsunami
warnings more seriously.
Presently, strong efforts are being made
by
the Hilo community to remain vigilant
and to
educate
residents about the dangers of tsunamis. The Pacific Tsunami Museum opened its doors in 1997 to
serve as both a visitor attraction and educational center.
The
museum provided the principal funding
for this oral history project.
The Interviewees
The following is a list of individuals interviewed for this oral history project, the years tsunamis
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xxxiii
impacted their lives, and their communities in those years:
Catherine Diama Campainha, 1946 and 1960, Downtown Hilo
Laura Yuen Chock, 1946 and 1960, Downtown Hilo
Robert Steamy Chow, 1946 and 1960, Downtown Hilo
Bunji Fujimoto, 1946, Laupahoehoe
Richard Furtado, 1946 and 1960, Keaulcaha
*Ronald Square and May Toyama Goya, 1946 and 1960, Downtown Hilo
Riichi Hatada, 1946, Shinmachi
Minerva Saiki Hayakawa, 1946
and
1960, Downtown Hilo
Kapua Wall Heuer, 1946, Pukihae Street and Keaukaha
*Takeshi Hirata and Violet Olcino Hirata, 1946, Downtown Hilo
Jeanne Branch Johnston, 1946, Keaukaha
Evelyn Lyn Miyazaki Kagawa, 1960, Downtown Hilo
Masuo Kino, 1946, Laupahoehoe
James U.C. Low, 1946 and 1960, Downtown Hilo
Harold P. Luscomb, 1960, Downtown Hilo and Hamakua Coast
Marsue McGinnis McShane, 1946, Laupahoehoe
Herbert S. Nishimoto, 1946, Laupahoehoe
Hayato Okino, 1923, 1946 and 1960, Downtown Hilo and Waiakea
Eloise Ahuna Pung, 1946, Keaukaha
Alexander M. Riviera, 1946, Waiakea
Kimilco Kuwana Sakai, 1960, Waiikea
June Odachi Shigemasa, 1946 and 1960, Shinmachi and Kimiville
Albert L Stanley, 1946, Laupahoehoe
Sadako Ishizaki Suzuki, 1960, Waiikea
Fusae Tanaka Takaki, 1946, Shinmachi
Josephine Nelson Todd, 1946
and
1960, Hilo bayfront
Masao Uchima, 1946, Shinmachi
Lenore K Van Gieson, 1946, Keaukaha
*interviewed as a couple
An essay written by a Kaua'i resident, James T. Ohashi, is also included in these volumes. Ohashi
recounts his experiences living in Nawiliwili on the Garden Island nd the damage inflicted by the
1946 tsunami there.
Transcript Usage
These volumes
o
transcripts include a glossary
o
all non-English and Hawai'i Creole English (HCE)
words (which are italicized in the transcripts) and a detailed subject/name index.
There
is
a series
o
numbers at the beginning
o
each transcript. This series includes, in order, a
project number, audio cassette number, session number, and year the interview was conducted. For
example, 29-12-1-98 identifies COH project number 29, cassette number 12, recorded interview
session 1, and the year, 1998.
The interviewees read their transcripts and were asked to make
any
deletions
or
additions they
considered necessary before releasing them for publication. Interviewee additions/changes are in
parentheses ( ). Minor editing for clarification and historical accuracy was done by the COH staff.
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xxxiv
Every attempt was made to not alter the flavor and authenticity of the interviews while editing. COH
staff additions are noted by brackets [ ]. A three-dot ellipsis indicates
n
interruption; a four-dot
.ellipsis indicates a trail-off by a speaker. Three dashes indicate a false start.
These transcripts represent statements the interviewees wish t
u
leave for the public record. After
reviewing and approving publication
of
the transcripts, the interviewees signed the following
agreement:
In order to preserve and
m ke
available
the
history o Hawai ifor present
and
.future generations, I
hereby give and
grant
to the University o
Hawai i
Center
for
Oral
History
as
a
donation
for such scholarly
and
educational
purposes
as the Center
Director shall determine, all
my
rights, title, and
interest to the tapes and edited transcripts
o nterviews
In addition, the methodology used in this research project was approved by the University
of
Hawai i
Committee on Human Studies Ad Hoc Review Committee. Federal law requires that interviewees be
apprised of their rights as human subjects prior to interviewing.
Transcript Availability
These transcripts are the primary documents presently available for research purposes. The audio
cassettes are in storage and not available for use, unless written permission is obtained from the
Center for Oral History.
Copies of this transcript volume are available at the following locations:
Hawai i
Hawai i Public Library (Hilo)
Kailua-Kona Public Library
Kealakekua Community Library
University
of
Hawai i at Hilo Library
Kaua i
Lihu e Public Library
Kaua i Community College Library
Lana i
Lina i Public and School Library
Maui
Maui Public Library (Wailuku)
Maui Community College Library
Moloka i
Mololca i Public Library
O ahu
Bishop Museum Library
Hawai i State Library
O ahu (continued)
Kaimuki Public Library
Kine ohe Public Library
Pearl City Public Library
Honolulu Community College Library
Kapi olani Community College Library
Leeward Community College Library
Windward Community College Library
University
of
Hawai i at Manoa
Center for Oral History
Ethnic Studies Program
Hamilton Library
University
of
Hawai i-West O ahu Library
Hawai i State Archives
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XXX
COH publications include:
Transcript collections
Waialua and Hale iwa: The People
Tell Their Story
(1977)
Life
Histories o Native Hawaiians (1978)
Remembering
Kaka ako: 1910-1950
(1978)
Waipi
o: Mtlno
Wai (Source
o Life) (1978)
The 1924
Filipino Strike
on
Kaua i
(1979)
Women
Workers
in Hawai i s Pineapple Industry
(1979)
Stores and Storekeepers
o
Ptl ia
and
Pu untnt,
Maui (1980)
A
Social History
o Kona (1981)
Five Life
Histories (1983)
Kalihi:
Place
o Transition
(1984)
Waiktkf,
1910-1985:
Oral
Histories
(1985)
Ka
Po e Kau Lei:
An Oral
History
o Hawai
i s Lei Sellers
(1986)
Perspectives on
Hawai i s Statehood
(1986)
Kt1/oa:
An
Oral
History
o
a
Kaua
i
Community
(1988)
Ltlna i
Ranch: The
People
o
Kt1 ele and Ket1muku
(1989)
Oral
Histories o
African
Americans
(1990)
The State
Foundation on
Culture and the Arts: An Oral History (1991)
Public
Education
in Hawai i: Oral Histories (1991) .
Ualapu e, Moloka i:
Oral Histories
from the East
End (1991)
An Era o
Change:
Oral
Histories o Civilians in World
War
II Hawai i
(1994)
Hawai i
Political
History
Documentation Project (1996)
The Qosing
o
Sugar Plantations: Interviews
with Families
o Htlm4kua
and
Ka a, Hawai i (1997)
Presidents
o he University
o Hawai
i:
Harlan
Qeveland
(1997)
Presidents
o he University
o
Hawai i: Fujio
Matsuda (1998)
Reflections
o
Ptllama
Settlement
(1998)
I i/Brown Family: Oral Histories (1999)
ooks
Uchinanchu: A History o 0/dnawans in Hawai i. Published in cooperation with the United Okinawan
Association (1981)
Hanahana:
An Oral History Anthology o Hawai i s Working People (1984)
Finding Aids
Catalog o
Oral History
Collections in Hawai i (1981)
Catalog o
he ESOHP
Collection, 1976-1984 (1984)
Master Index
to the
ESOHP Interviews,
1976-1983
(1984)
Other Publications
How To
Do
Oral
History
(Second Edition, Revised 1989)
Oral History
Recorder
newsletter (1984-.)
The staff o the Center for Oral History, Social Science Research Institute, University o Hawai i at
Manoa, believes
that
researching, recording, and disseminating the experiences o Hawai i s people
7/21/2019 Tsunamis 01
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xxxv
will stimulate further research and foster a better understanding
o
our islands history. COH
s
responsible for any errors in representing or interpreting the statements
o
the interviewees.
Honolulu, Hawai i
April, 2000