History — June 2, 2009 14:42 — View Comments Written by: Jan

Remembering our Past: The 1960 Hilo Tsunami (PART II)

Continued: Remembering our Past: Part I

And so, anyway, finally we got up to the steps and we, Aunty Ida and Uncle Taiyo and Randy and Ruthie we all got into the house and huddled together. The water was up to the second level of his house and you could hear people screaming, and you could hear some people saying. “Help me! Help me!” but what can you do, you know? And when we looked out, oh, I don’t know how to explain, but you saw bits of houses, the lumber and everything just passing by us. The bad part was you could hear people screaming but you couldn’t do anything. And then, we were all shivering and shuddering cause we’re so scared yeah, in the house and then Randall said, “Oh, Aunty Helen your dad [my father] made one boat, rowboat, so lets take go in there, let’s take bread and canned goods and everything, so we’re getting ready, you know a little rowboat. Imagine in Hilo right there in the front yard going into the rowboat.

hilo meters Remembering our Past: The 1960 Hilo Tsunami (PART II)

Daddy did that?

Yeah, he tried. But, ah, I dunno, I guess somebody decided not to cause the waves were up high yet you know, still high and all the things were floating from the other houses and other streets. So, we stayed, we decided to stay until the sirens sounded that said that it was alright to get out of your homes and everything. I dunno, I don’t think I heard any siren or anything, but before we knew it, the firemen were there, they came to rescue all of us. And in the meantime, while we were waiting for them to come, we looked across the street, and you know our neighbor Mrs. Nabeta, was um, she had candles in her window, cause she had a two-story house too. So it’s good to have a two-story, we had a low ranch type house. So anyway, she had candles in her window and as we later learned from her, she put the candles so that whoever was lost, I mean not lost, but whoever was floundering in the water or hanging on a tree or whatever if they saw the candle, the lights, they would be comforted no, knowing that they were close to someone, but that person couldn’t help, but still they could see that light, cause you get more scared if it’s in darkness, but if you see a flicker of light you know, it makes you feel stronger, gives you support. So we felt better, too. And then, when we went out, the water had receded. The place was a shambles, looked like one earthquake, a hurricane or something all the shattered buildings and stuff. And all the tilapia, you know that fish? All the fishes! And silverware and everything you know, forks, spoons and stuff, and we could still hear people moaning and all kinds.

And Uncle Taiyo, he wasn’t home. He had gone out earlier, so we were all worried and then before we knew it, he came running. And we asked him, “How you survived the tsunami, where were you?” He said he was coming home when the big wave came so he climbed up the telephone pole and that’s how he was saved. But in the meantime he said, when he was on the pole he looked down…you see a lot of people, you know, they were so um, lax, I mean they didn’t think it was going to happen cause it happened, things like this, the warnings came but nothing happened so I guess human nature they take it for granted nothing’s gonna happen, so some of them went to go look.

He was one of them?

No, he out was someplace, but from the telephone pole, from up there he could see that the people who went to look, they’re all washed under the water, cause the waves not going to stop for you! When it recedes and comes up, oh it’s terrible you know! And then our baby sitter, who was watching Roxanne when I worked, she went with her son, I think, and her husband too. She was able to make it back home, but the father, because he couldn’t walk very well, the son was dragging him home with this other wave coming, but because his legs so weak, and I guess the impact of the wave yeah, the hands you know, let loose, he couldn’t hold onto the father and that’s how one of the father’s died. And uh, where we lived on the next street, practically all the neighbors passed away, and from what we heard some went back for something you know…

Some went back where for something?

Yeah, they went back for whatever they thought was important or what,

To their houses?

To their houses. But when they came out to try to run away, the wave came already. See, cause, tsunami, tidal wave, it literally, the ocean dries up. You dunno where the water disappears, you know. It just opens up. You see the coral, the limu, the fish, the sand, everything. And then all of a sudden you see this humongous wave come like that…you can’t do anything once it’s starts rolling.

Throughout history Hawaii has experienced a string of tsunamis. The U.S. Geological Survey notes: “…we have experienced about one damaging tsunami every 12 years for the last 157 years…”, but none in the last 49 years. Based on history, experts agree that Hawaii is overdue for another impactful tsunami. To learn more about Hawaii’s tsunami history and tsunami preparedness, follow these links: