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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People are welcome t utilize, in unpublished works, short excerpts from any of the transcriptions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

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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unpublished works, short excerpts from any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