A. Kauai 1.10.12 Final

Transcription

Appendices
Kauaʻi
He loli ka wai,
He loli ka ola.
When the movement of water is changed
All of life is affected.
A Niʻihau ʻŌlelo Noʻeau
© 2011 Kai Eʻe Project - Field Test Draft
Appendices - Kauaʻi
Kauaʻi Appendix
History
Kauaʻi Map of Tsunami Stories....................................................................
1
History...........................................................................................................
2
Historic Timeline of Kai Eʻe (Kauaʻi and Statewide)...................................
4
Moʻolelo
Moʻolelo of Nohili.......................................................................................
7
Survivor Stories
Kauaʻi Map of Tsunami Stories - Hāʻena....................................................
Samson Mahuiki..........................................................................................
Elizabeth “Kapeka” Mahuiki.......................................................................
Violet Hashimoto Goto................................................................................
Linda Akana Sproat.....................................................................................
Kauaʻi Map of Tsunami Stories - Kahiliwai................................................
Tom Hashimoto............................................................................................
10
11
13
14
15
16
18
School Maps
Ke Kula Niʻihau o Kekaha..........................................................................
20
© 2011 Kai Eʻe Project - Field Test Draft - 1
Ea kai la e Kahinaliʻi,
Ea kai la e Kahulumanu
Rising is the sea of Kahinaliʻi.
History
Cultural and Historical
Kai Eʻe and Kauaʻi
Kai e‘e (tsunami) has been a integral part of Hawai‘i’s geography and
her story. Traditionally, the people of Hawai‘i lived in connection with
the elements of land and sea. In ancient times, it seems, this connection
led to a more intimate awareness of signs that might warn of coming
disaster. However, in more modern times that connection has weakened
though many still live close to the land and sea. On the island of Kauaʻi
storm events often drive against the island from out of the west and the
heaviest storms originate along the western horizon.
When it comes to tsunami or kai eʻe the hardest hit areas have been the
western side of the island, in particular, the northwestern side--from
Kilauea to Hāʻena. The “wrap-around” effect generated from seismic
events to the east of the Hawaiian Island chain has caused greater
damage in these areas and kānaka Kauaʻi (Kauaʻi people) as well as
kānaka Niʻihau have the stories about this. In addition, both the north
and south sides on the west of Kauaʻi share a view of ka welona a ka lā-the sun which sets over Niʻihau and Lehua.
When the 1946 tsunami struck Kauaʻi waves measured 45 feet at
Hāʻena. The effects in sea rise were felt as far as 1,600 feet inland with
tons of debris from houses and trees left in their wake. Seven people
were killed. Damage in Wainiha was not as extensive though, sadly,
three people died. Six people died in Kalihiwai where one of our
interviews was recorded. The southwestern shore measured significant,
but not as damaging wave heights. Some of these lesser populated
areas, like Kēkaha and Waimea, were impacted without any loss of
human life.
Unlike the massive breaking surf of the previous disaster, the 1957
tsunami surged over the shoreline like a flood tide. Roads and bridges
were damaged for days cutting off the north shore from the rest of
Kauaʻi. The interviews in this appendix reflect actual experiences from
the Kalihiwai area. The damage left by this tsunami was twice as bad as
the previous one. Kūpuna (elders) describe how crucial the military was
for recovery of the coastline as well as the protection of people and
property.
Many of the traditional stories of northwest Kauaʻi include Niʻihau. The
Na Pali land division of Kauaʻi is actually viewed traditionally as part of
its smaller companion to the west. Stories are shared freely between
these neighboring areas. This relationship is expressed in the Niʻihau
ʻōlelo noʻeau (wise saying): “Kauaʻi kaili lā, Niʻihau ka lā kau.” In
other words, Kauaʻi shelters and steals the sun; Niʻihau is the sun. One
of the stories in this Appendix preserves navigational lore and is set in
the context of kai eʻe and an unanticipated rise in sea level. Though
regional lawaiʻa (fishers) tend to notice the more important
characteristics of the sky and sea, the main character for whom the
legend is attributed carelessly sails past these signs. Still, the ancients
were human like us though far more attentive as a rule. The story also
demonstrates how intertwined the two islands are.
Science and Traditional Knowledge
Kai e‘e are both a part of scientific study as well as a subject of
traditional knowledge. Much of the newer science has been recorded in
recent times with technological advancements and the ability now to
“track” tsunamis. Yet the tip of the spear, so to speak, as it relates to
traditional knowledge lies among those who watch the ebb and flow of
tides both sacred and secular. This means not scientists and technicians,
but lawaiʻa and other local eyewitnesses.
Taken from the Legend of Pele and Hiʻiaka the chant “Lele Ka‘ena”
records the observations of Hi‘iaka as she arrives on another island
closely connected to Kauaʻi and Niʻihau. Many of the comments made
in the Oʻahu Appendix may resonate with what can be learned regarding
kai eʻe and Kauaʻi
Historic Timeline
of Kai Eʻe on Kauaʻi and Statewide
Table I. Deadly Tsunamis (after Cox, 1987)
? = estimate based run-up at nearest site measured
Date
Location of
Source
Locations in Hawaiʻi
with Casualities
Number
of
Casualties
Run-up in
Areas with
Casualties
(in feet)
1975 (Nov. 29)
Hawaiʻi
Halapē, Hawaiʻi
2
26
1960 (May 23)
Chile
Hilo, Hawaiʻi
61
35
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Hilo, Hawaiʻi
96
27
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Laupāhoehoe, Hawaiʻi
25
30
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
ʻAnaehoʻomalu,
Hawaiʻi
1
12?
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Hāmoa, Maui
10
23
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Keʻanae, Maui
2
17
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Pāʻia, Maui
1
20
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Māla, Maui
1
12
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Kahana, Oʻahu
3
7
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Punaluʻu, Oʻahu
1
12
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Kahuku, Oʻahu
1
24
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Waiʻanae, Oʻahu
1
14
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Hāʻena, Kauaʻi
7
32
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Wainiha, Kauaʻi
3
27
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Kalihiwai, Kauaʻi
6
22
1946 (Apr. 1)
Aleutians
Nāwiliwili, Kauaʻi
1
14
Date
Location of
Source
Locations in Hawaiʻi
with Casualities
Number
of
Casualties
Run-up in
Areas with
Casualties
(in feet)
1923 (Feb. 3)
Kamchatka,
Russia
Hilo, Hawaiʻi
1
20
1877 (May 10)
Chile
Hilo, Hawaiʻi
5
16
1868 (Apr. 2)
Hawaiʻi
Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi
46
60
1868 (Apr. 2)
Hawaiʻi
Puna, Hawaiʻi
1
20
1837 (Nov. 7)
Chile
Hilo, Hawaiʻi
14
20
1837 (Nov. 7)
Chile
Kahului, Maui
2
20?
Table II. Local Tsunamis (after Cox & Morgan, 1987)
Date
Location of
Source
Probable Method of
Generation
Area of
Maximum
Impact
Maximum
Run-up
Height (feet)
1975 (Nov. 29)
Southwest of
Kalapana
7.2 earthquake,
landslide?
Keauhou
Landing
47
1952 (Mar. 17)
South of
Kalapana
4.5 earthquake
Kalapana
10
1951 (Aug. 21)
Southwest of
Kona
6.9 earthquake, landslide
Miloliʻi
3
1919 (Oct. 2)
Kona Coast
volcanic landslide
Hoʻopuloa
14
1908 (Sep. 20)
Island of
Hawaiʻi
6.8 earthquake,
landslide?
Hilo
4
1877 (Feb. 24)
Southwest of
Kona
Moanaloa, submarine
eruption?
Kona
10
1868 (Apr. 2)
South of
Kalapana
7.9 earthquake
Keauhou
Landing
45
Moʻolelo of Nohili
The Sky Dogs of Niʻihau
All of his life, Nohili had watched the Sun go
down over Lehua and tended the waters
between Kauaʻi and Niʻihau. He seemed quite
content to haunt the lonely western shore of
Kauaʻi. Like the villages of Hāʻena and
Mānoa to the north as well as Kēkaha and
Waimea in the south, he shared a perfect view
of Niʻihau and ka welona a ka lā (the long set
of the Sun). When necessary he would visit
the nearby village to barter fish for kalo. And
from that store of food Nohili fed himself and
his nine dogs--Na ʻĪlio Eiwa.
His dogs were special and named for the nine
colors used to navigate through the use of the
stars. But at that time, dogs were still
considered lazy and useful only for food.
They did not bark or guard anything, but only
growled or whined, and lay around--fattening
up for the ground oven. Not Nohili’s dogs
though! No one was allowed to touch his
friends. He fed them as if they were his own
children and family.
Each day he would stake them out along the
shoreline and they would await his return
with fish. One day, as he prepared to go
fishing, Na ʻĪlio Eiwa, the nine dogs, became
extremely agitated and difficult to stake in the
usual three sets of three. Down to the last
dog, white as the cresting waves, Nohili had
to use his fishing net to subdue his friends and
stake them out before climbing into his waʻa
(canoe). It was still dark when he left the
shore.
Name: Nohili, lawaiʻa (fisher) and
keeper of the westernmost point of
Kauaʻi facing Niʻihau and the Kūpuna
Islands to the NW
Area of Island: Nohili
Kai Eʻe Event: In the ancient past
Experience: Nohili and Na ʻĪlio Eiwa
(the nine dogs) experience kai eʻe
Brief Summary of Story: Nohili learns
to look and listen for guidance in the
face of an unanticipated sea-level
change. Through nature (his dogs, the
sky and sea) he learns the danger of not
paying attention to his surroundings.
Unfortunately, in working so hard to leave,
Nohili had failed to notice the storm bank
gathering on the distant horizon. It was dark
but still his trained should have seen it
coming! As with so many everyday routines,
working the rigging on his canoe and staying
tuned in to the wind and current was like
reciting his genealogy for the thousandth
time. After a while, your mind flies right past
the names of important family as if they’re
not even in the hale (house)!
“By the time the mid-morning Sun should
have been beating down on his dark brown
back, Nohili found himself far out on the
open sea. But because of his mood he had
missed the birds used to follow the schools of
fish. Their dark faces were nowhere to be
seen. Finally, when Nohili became conscious
of these things, the colors of the sky and blues
of the ocean appeared strange to him-everything seemed more green than blue!
Though the Sun was in the sky, this day was
not getting any brighter and stillness hung
over everything like tapa (woven mats) piled
on to the timber of a Hawaiian sweat house.
In fact, by early afternoon the ocean itself had
become so calm Nohili looked down into it-there was nothing moving and the air was
thick. As if looking into the famous bowl
used to pray for direction he stared blankly
down into the depths of the sea. Even the
skies, now clouded over a dark gray-green,
offered no answers. The seasoned lawaiʻa
had missed every clue that something was
wrong. No fish. No birds. And, finally, even
his best friends, now staked to the shore, lay
shrouded in the darkest storm clouds.
The wind stirred, then picked up and soon
began to howl. The waves followed the same
pattern pitching his waʻa from back to front,
side to side with no real rhythm. Whatever
was happening on the shore, Nohili could pay
no mind for his canoe threatened to sink as it
began swamping with water. There was
nothing left to do but to pull in his sail and
bail water!
With whatever gourd containers had floated
up from the bottom of his waʻa--even with his
bare hands--Nohili scooped up water
furiously.
After what seemed hours the wind left and the
ocean lapped up against the small waʻa. Out
of breath and exhausted, the lawaiʻa again
secured the rigging with shaking hands and
dropped unconscious to the floor of his waʻa.
Nohili dreamed of the Sea of Stars, a waʻa
floating in the Heavens, and of laughing and
running on the beach with his nine powerful
dogs.
He awoke to a small starlit opening in the sky
and a sound like nothing ever heard by any
human. Strangely, in the quiet miles between
his waʻa and the shore he could just make out
the sound of Na ʻĪlio Eiwa--they were
barking! Amid their throaty scoldings he
could even smell their breath, warm and
strengthening, on the gathering wind and the
now familiar--yet intensifying--roil of the sea.
This time, however, the wind and sea made
him smile.
So the people of Niʻihau, who once travelled
on any whim to and from Tahiti, have a
saying:
O na hōku no na kiu o ka lani.
“The breath of Heaven is passed to us
through the stars.”
To this day, the people of Niʻihau,
Kahelelani’s Flowers, find themselves at
home among the wind and stars. The star
dogs serve them best when seen through the
netting of the ipu hoʻokele (star compass and
bowl used for navigation).
And they proudly remind themselves of who
they are-He keiki no wau no na kiu eiwa o Niʻihau.
“I am a child of the nine cold winds of
Niʻihau.”
Yet again, the storm mounted and his waʻa
pitched wildly. However this time, with sail
and mast creaking, Nohili headed in the
direction of his tethered dogs and their
persistent but increasingly muffled barks.
Though he knew his waʻa was heading in the
right direction, their voices came softer and
softer! The lawaiʻa fought for the shore and
his life.
Stumps of trees and a dimly lit mishmash of
debris littered the way to his hale. Nohili
could not remember how he had found
himself lying face down in the sand. But the
rising seas had altered the landscape of his
home beyond recognition and subsided as the
brightest stars swam toward the western
horizon.
Though the sky was open and loaded with
stars, his dogs were gone--staked somewhere
beneath the sands that bear their master’s
name. Some say they flew up to Heaven
forever to guide the lawaiʻa’s family on the
open sea.
From that day forward dogs could bark and
guard the village. And even now the sands
still scold you when you walk the beach at
Nohili.
Survivor Stories
Samson Mahuiki
“In ’46 no we never had this house. This
house was built in ’73, ’74. The old house
was there, though. The old house would have
been a hundred years. The old house, now
it’s gone. That’s what they call Hale Makua.
“That morning was April 1st. When we went
to school, my two brothers George and Tom.
And the first thing I could think of was my
dog. My dog and my cat. ‘Cause they were
my buddies, my cat and dog. And my dog
was running around and Hāʻena was washed
out. Our house, that was the house in the
back, there was pushed off its foundation.
Anyway was all damaged. We stayed at
grandma’s. (Juliette Wichman’s home located
on higher ground became a shelter for the
displaced families in the wake of the
catastrophe.)
“My mom got caught in the tidal wave. And
at that time when they were here, Mom had
tūtū Hanohano. He had his wife, Julia. He
was married to Julia Crowell. She had a
daughter, Nona. They were living right next
door, so she was always with my mom. And
my mom was hāpai (pregnant) with Junior
that time. It happened in April and Junior
was born in July.
“Old man Hanohano said, ʻThere’s a tidal
wave. Because these two ladies went down
Area of Island: Hāʻena and Wainiha,
Kauaʻi
Tsunami Event: 1946
Experience: Samson and various
families near his home deal with a
sudden rise of the ocean.
Brief Summary of Interview: This
interview, recorded in the book,
Hāʻena: Through the Eyes of the
Ancestors, p.55, recounts the fateful
April Fools’ Day, 1946 tsunami that
impacted the entire northern coast of
Kauaʻi as well as the other islands in
the Hawaiian chain. Samson’s
brothers, George and Tom, shared the
events of that day, too.
the beach to look. How you like that? Get
one tidal wave!’ Old man Hanohano told
them to get home! So they came home.
“They only had reached by the house. They
never know nothing what had happened. The
tidal wave hit. The big wave. They got swept
off their feet.
“There were all those java plum trees in the
back here. They got caught in the plum tree.
That’s how they saved themselves. Hanging
on the plum branch. But they got caught.
“And then my mom them never had any
clothes on because the current was so strong.
So she and tūtū Hanohanoʻs wife, they came
on this high ridge over here and they had to
walk all the way. They climbed up on the
mountain in the back there. But they still had
to swim in the back there. Because get one
just like drain here and this is the main stream
for draining all of back here. So they walked
on the ridge over here and then up on the
mountain to go to Wainiha.
“There was a Mormon church just where
Lahela folks live. There was a Mormon
church over there. So they all came to the
church thinking that they going come in the
Mormon church, they would be saved. That’s
where twelve people got killed.”
Survivor Stories
Elizabeth “Kapeka”Mahuiki
“Well, you hear just like a rifle shot and that’s
the waves coming in. The wave was coming
more high, more high. They had go down
from that hill and run back. Run back to
Paweaka (a reef area nearby) by the turn.
And the wave passed them. Huh, I was so
mad. They’d run for their life.
“That tidal wave was in March, March 9th,
1957. My dad was sitting on the porch and
before when never had these trees, from our
old house you could see the ʻāpapa (coral
flats) down there, you could see the ocean.
He was sitting on the porch and patching his
net. But on the radio, Lucky Luck (a popular
disc jockey of the time) kept repeating and
repeating that exactly at 8 o’clock going get
one tidal wave. So my dad said,ʻWell, you
kids, you folks better get up and get ready and
pack food and pack the pots and pack this.’
The entire family went down to Grandma
Wichman’s.
“No more trees, can see the ocean. The kai
(sea) that morning was nice. The ʻāpapa was
dry, was dry and malia (calm), you know the
sea. So we packed up and while going down
we told our neighbors like the Maka and the
Mahuiki families, ʻOh you know, get one tidal
wave warning.’ They never listen to us, but
we had our food packed, everything, blankets.
“So we moved out, we stayed over there. We
went straight over there. We had the radio.
Then when came 8 o’clock, eh, he was right.
Area of Island: Mānoa and Hāʻena,
Kauaʻi
Tsunami Event: March 9, 1957
Experience: Kapeka and various
families near her home deal with a
sudden rise of the ocean.
Brief Summary of Interview:
Kapeka tells her eye witness account
of being warned by her father when
the sea began to rise in 1957. She
ends up making her way to a
prominent rocky lookout to see the last
waves.
“Because we were looking at the ocean all of
a sudden the ocean came real dry. It pulled
all the way back. This is it.
“But me being so nosy I went on Uncle
Hobie’s. You know Uncle Hobie get one big
rock on his place. You can look all over,
yeah. I went over there and sat on the rock.
Everybody was gone. But I sat on that rock
and I watched everything. You know, outside
here, this ʻāpapa over here, get that channel
between the outside ʻāpapa and the inside
ʻāpapa. No more nothing water. Dry. Down
Maninihola, dry. All the water got pulled out
way behind, pulled all the way outside. You
know how you see the bugga building up, but
inside all dry. Seeing is believing.”
Survivor Stories
Violet Hashimoto Goto
“It’s beautiful (the bottom, the floor of the
ocean). I seen it, I seen what this ʻāpapa had
look like and the ʻāpapa outside. Beautiful in
the formations, you know all the little ʻāpapa
underneath. Then get that channel over there.
No more nothing. You only see down to the
sand. All the way, even down Maniniholo.
You would think you could see some fish
splattering, splattering around. But I guess
when the waves pull out the fish go with it.
Beautiful, you know how it looks on the ocean
bottom. Beautiful formations, beautiful!
“Then when it starts coming in, when the first
wave comes in it just fills in ʻwhoosh.’ Like
that, it just goes smooth. It just moves. And
all what you could see was the tops of the
trees. That’s all. When it moves like that.
Yes, that’s Mother Nature, right?
“Well the first three (waves) is about the
biggest. Yeah it comes in and then it pulls
back, everything. Then you going see all the
rubbish. Everything, all going outside. The
three first ones are about the biggest. And
after that it calms down. But then the whole
day it’s going to be like that. Not big ones
though. It’s going to be like that.
“Mr. Maka, he was still living that time. He
was hard head. The Mahuiki and some of his
Maka family, when we left, we told them to
get out. You know what they did? They went
go look down the beach to go look if was for
sure going get one tidal wave. They had no
time. They had to get out so fast, they just had
Area of Island: Hāʻena, Kauaʻi
Tsunami Event: 1957
Experience: Violet describes her
experience and the aftermath of the
tsunami.
Brief Summary of Interview: A
descriptive account of the tsunami at
Hāʻena
pass Grandma’s place right by the road, the
first wave had hit. Otherwise, Mr. Maka he
was trying to run away, he got caught, his
truck was smashed against the tree. But he
was okay. He said as soon as that happen he
went get out of the truck and he had run for
the hills. Oh Mrs. Maka was so mad at him,
Myra. She was so mad with him. ‘Cause she
was hiding up there. When they could come
back, she found him, he was inside his house,
he was eating. How mad she was with him.
Then he was telling his story, how the tidal
wave had get him and he had run away, he had
run up in the hills. And the car was smashed,
you would think he died.
“Yes, all the houses were pushed off their
foundations. Even our old house was pushed
off its foundation, that’s all. The county had
big kind machines. Everybody help each
other clean up.”
Survivor Stories
Linda Akana Sproat
“Okay we lived in Kalihiwai Valley. We lived
on the far side of the bay, the Hanalei side of
the bay. We were the 2nd house back from the
ocean.
“I remember my grandpa yelling tidal wave,
tidal wave.
Right mama?
(Yes) And
everybody thought he was joking because it
was April Fools. And I was going to go over
to my grandma’s house to get in the car and
the water was near where the carport was and
there were fishes in there. And the neighbors
and everybody were out there picking up fish.
And my dad came to get me and told my
mother to take me and my two cousins..
“My dad told us walk up the road, and go up
the old road. Which was now like a dirt trail
because nobody used it anymore, it was
overgrown with Hilahila and we had no
slippers. Right? And she felt so sorry for us
because we kept saying our feet hurt, our feet
hurt, but she kept telling us you got to keep
walking, keep walking.
“And we could hear the crashing like she
said, and we stood and watched. And I
remember our old fishbox go by with my dog
standing on top it was almost like she was
surfing. Then we saw my cat go by on some
debris. Then we saw our house come around.
And it was just floating slowly. And it got set
in the rice patty. And we could hear a lot of
other things yelling and screaming and going
on and debris going by. And we stayed up
there till they came and got us huh.
Area of Island: Kalihiwai Valley
Tsunami Event: 1946
Age at Time of Event: 6
Experience: fled from tsunami, father
saved mother from tsunami
Brief Summary of Interview: Linda
tells the amazing story her family
surviving the tsunami. Their house
was washed away but survived and
was re-occupied. Father saved several
people including her mother.
Video: None Available
“And then we went down and we went to take
a look in our house. And the door was gone
and there was mud all over the floor. But like
she said the kerosene lamp in my bedroom
was still burning. And nothing tipped over
and it didn’t burn down.
“And eventually we were able to with the
help of the core of engineers our house was
brought back to its old position and it was
jacked up somehow.
“And what really stays in my mind about that
was the core of engineers came from Mana.
And one of the boys on the bulldozer brought
his little son while he was bulldozing.
“And I would stand outside and watch them
bulldoze and every time they’d push debris
we’d find some of our things. And they were
doing the lot the property right on the line
between my grandma’s house and our house.
And the bulldozer pushed I remember and I
was standing down and I saw something
shiny in the mud. So I started to dash off to
get it and the little boy in the bulldozer
jumped down and he got it before me. And he
held it up and it was my grandmother’s
sterling silver dinner bell. And he was
ringing it. And I said ‘Hey that’s my
grandmother’s dinner bell I want it back’.
And he said ‘Oh no I, founders keepers’. And
all day he stood on that bulldozer and rang
that dinner bell at me. And I remember that.
And that’s about all I remember from the ’46.
“Because our family were fisherman and we
had a big 26-foot boat that was upside down
on horses that we had scraped the day before
and they were going to paint it, to paint the
bottom of it and it was our hukilau boat.
“And when the first wave came, my grandpa
after my dad had told us to go up the hill my
grandpa told my dad you better go and save
the boat because if something happens to the
boat we will have no way to fish. So my dad
ran down and he dove off the Kalihiwai
Bridge and swam toward the boat and turned
that boat over by himself, 26 feet and pushed
it into the water and paddled it with one of the
floorboards of the boat past the bridge.
Because he knew that if he wasn’t past the
bridge before the second wave came it would
squish him against the bridge. He just got
under and almost out of the bridge when the
second wave hit. It picked him up and he
rode that tidal wave up the valley. He had a
long rope and as he was going by he threw
the rope to people who were floating by on
houses of roofs and on debris. He saved
about 5 people.
“My Uncle Lani Hatchett was the first and a
man named Mr. Nishioka, and we can’t
remember the other people that he saved. But
what he did was he threw the rope to them
and pulled the boat in and then they jumped
on the boat as the boat was going up the
valley. Then when they were quite far up the
valley he heard this voice calling, ‘Help, help,
help.’ And he recognized it as his mother’s
voice.
barbwire and cut very badly. And she didn’t
know how to swim so she was hanging onto a
plank with a lot of barb wire and he grabbed
onto her and as the water receded he just
worked his way down the tree until he got to
land, on the bottom. Then he carried her out,
untangled the barbwire and carried her out to
the highway where the ambulances would be
coming.
“And five people were killed from Kalihiwai
here in the ’46 tsunami. And then after that
everybody people moved away, most people
except us. I kept asking them, how come
we’re not moving away, do we have to move
away? They said no, we can’t move away,
we fish in this area. So we stayed again.
“And had another tidal wave in ’57. And that
time it took our whole house, right we didn’t
even get to see it anyway. I mean we had it
repainted and so forth. We just came home
and help try to salvage things and many
things in this house we salvaged.
[Advice] “So if you go back and watch you
better be high enough that it’s not going to get
you. Because in two shakes it’s gone,
everything is gone.”
“So he dove off the boat and he told my uncle
when the water starts to recede tie the boat
and just stay with the boat. And after the
water, and the third wave and the other wave
come and its not as high just leave the boat
and come back down. So he dove into the
water and swam to the voice and sure enough,
it was his mother. She was entangled in
Survivor Stories
Tom Hashimoto
“Well what happened was we normally try to
race going to school in Hā‘ena, Hā‘ena
School. And that morning my brother went
out on the porch and looked down toward the
ocean and he’d seen the waves splashing on
the coconut trees in that lower part where the
bridge is. And he told me ‘Brother come out
here and look at the waves splashing on the
trees.’ I didn’t want to go look because it was
April Fool’s. Because I thought he was
fooling me. So eventually I went out there
and I seen it happen. That was the first wave.
“So what happened we ran outside from the
house the way we were dresses you know
nightgown and stuff. And ran down to the
next house where the old man Hanohano and
[Keeler?] were living with his wife Julia and
daughter Winona. So we told them and then
we ran ahead because we realized that he had
a boat full of nets. So when we got down to
the Mākua Beach the boat was filled with
water. At the time, we didn’t know what the
hell was happening. And the water was
receding real fast. And by the time the bay
was, we could see the sand in the bay with all
these reefs standing out like mountains. And
we started to unload the nets so that we could
tip the boat and get the water out.
“But while we were doing so we heard this
sound. This maybe 15, 20 minutes but we
didn’t look at the ocean because we were
Area of Island: Mākua Beach
Tsunami Event: 1946 and 1957
Age at Time of Event: 12 in ʻ46
Experience: caught in tsunami, fled,
found mother safe, saw advance and
retreat of waves
Brief Summary of Interview:
Thomas Hashimoto was born in
Hā‘ena on the island of Kaua‘i. He
was 12 years old in 1946 when the
tsunami hit. He describes his
experience during that tsunami at
Hā‘ena as well as the 1957 tsunami.
Video: None Available
busy looking what we were doing. And then
all of a sudden there was something just like a
bulldozer pushing all the houses, you know
that whack, whack sound. And so we looked
up and this wave was pushing the houses you
know just like a bulldozer. So it was lucky
that the Rice’s clean the area where we ran
was pretty pa‘a [stuck], you know I would say
about 400 yards. We tried to beat the wave
and the place was fresh, the rubbish pile was
high. So we climbed up on the rubbish pile
and climbed up in the trees. And the two old
folks couldn’t make it up in the trees so what
they did was hang on the trees. You know
just hung on. And then outward we were
thinking about our Mom because she was left
home, and Mrs. Pa and her daughter. So we
were looking at the buildings that belonged to
Chandler. One of the buildings were just
broken up in pieces, right where the gate was.
And then the other one still where we were
but in open area, but sat there.
“Then after the water receded we ran home,
which was right across the road. We ran
home and found out the house was all broken
up and was against the trees. Because in the
back where we lived there was a lot of palm
trees and barbed wire and lantana. So we ran
over there and called ʻMom, ma, ma.’ Then
we heard her you know kind of calling. So
we went in back of the hill where we left,
where the house was, and there they were.
And they were, my mom was completely
nude. Because she got her nightgown got all
ripped in the lantana and the barbed wire, and
she was all cut up. And Mrs. Pa was the same
thing but she had part of her nightgown on.
So what we did was ran back in the house
grabbed a sheet, pulled a sheet from the bed
and that was the cover for the two women.
“And then after that we didn’t think about the
wave at the time. Our mind was to get on
higher ground. So what we did we made one
diagonal on the higher part of the hill, running
at one angle until we could get in the corner
and then swim across. You know holding the
fence, Robinson’s fence. This was on
Robinson’s property. Then after Mr. Pa
helped the two women get across because it
was deep already, that place was about 12 feet
deep. The water was in there already from
the first wave. So we swam holding the fence
post and swim across. Then we just got on
the other side when the waves came again.
Just whipping right through. So we climbed
up on the hill, following the fence line
overlooking the YMCA. And there was
nothing. There were I would say about 6 or 8
buildings at the YMCA. It was flat. And then
we went higher and looked at the, for Hale
Ho‘omaha. I don’t know what you would say
condominium or whatever it was, it was gone,
by the time we were up high...So what we did
we follow the fence line in the meantime my
dad came by.
“Well you know most of the buildings were
gone. All the houses were damaged. And we
went back there and tried to clean up and stuff
and just retrieve whatever was left.”
[New topic: About the 1957 tsunami]
“And that morning we had the warning, I
think it was two hours before the waves was
supposed to come. So we packed up food,
clothing for my kids, at the time I had three
kids, and told the people to leave. But some
of them got hard head. So we just let it be at
that. And then all of a sudden when the
waves came in that’s when they decided to
get out of there. Some of them were fortunate
some of them were not. They had to stay in
that area and climb the trees. Because if not
they going be killed by the power...
“I say it’s ugly. And I’m thinking about the
people who live in the low-lying area who
they, they going to get into big trouble, I
know that.
“....and bought my home in Kīlauea in ’78. I
tried to choose some place that would be safe
for my family.”
School Maps

A. Kauai 1.10.12 Final

Transcription

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