1960 — May 23, Tsunami, Hilo, HI, from May 22 Great Chilean (Valdivia) Earthquake– 61

— 61 CBS/AP. “Hawaii’s 1960 Tsunami.” CBS News, 2-27-2010.
— 61 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 234.
— 61 History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, May 23, 1960. “Tsunami Hits Hawaii.”
— 61 Schmitt, Robert C. Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii. 2-2-2009, p. 68.
— 61 Sim, Vanessa. “Three tsunamis that changed Hilo and Hawaii’s Big Island.” 11-25-2009.
— 61 USGS. Deaths in the United States from Earthquakes, 2008 update.

Narrative Information

CBS/AP: “On May 22, 1960, a 9.5 earthquake – the largest ever recorded – hit southwest Chile, generating a tsunami that struck the Hawaiian Island in about 15 hours.

“Hilo Bay area on island of Hawaii was hit hard by the 35-foot wave, which destroyed or damaged more than 500 homes and businesses. Sixty-one people died. Damage was estimated at $75 million.

“This tsunami caused little damage elsewhere in the islands, where wave heights were in the 3-17 foot range….” (CBS/AP. “Hawaii’s 1960 Tsunami.” CBS News, 2-27-2010.

History.com: “A tsunami caused by an earthquake off the coast of Chile travels across the Pacific Ocean and kills 61 people in Hilo, Hawaii, on this day in 1960. The massive 8.5-magnitude quake had killed thousands in Chile the previous day.

“The earthquake, involving a severe plate shift, caused a large displacement of water off the coast of southern Chile at 3:11 p.m. Traveling at speeds in excess of 400 miles per hour, the tsunami moved west and north. On the west coast of the United States, the waves caused an estimated $1 million in damages, but were not deadly.

“The Pacific Tsunami Warning System, established in 1948 in response to another deadly tsunami, worked properly and warnings were issued to Hawaiians six hours before the wave’s expected arrival. Some people ignored the warnings, however, and others actually headed to the coast in order to view the wave. Arriving only a minute after predicted, the tsunami destroyed Hilo Bay on the island of Hawaii. Thirty-five-foot waves bent parking meters to the ground and wiped away most buildings. A 10-ton tractor was swept out to sea. Reports indicate that the 20-ton boulders making up the sea wall were moved 500 feet. Sixty-one people died in Hilo, the worst-hit area of the island chain.

“The tsunami continued to race further west across the Pacific. Ten thousand miles away from the earthquake’s epicenter, Japan, despite ample warning time, was not able to warn the people in harm’s way. At about 6 p.m., more than a day after the earthquake, the tsunami struck the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. The crushing wave killed 180 people, left 50,000 more homeless and caused $400 million in damages.” (History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, May 23, 1960. “Tsunami Hits Hawaii.”)

Sim: “May 23, 1960….1:05 a.m. (Hawaii Standard Time). Source of tsunami: 8.3 magnitude earthquake in Chile. Maximum wave height: 35 feet. Damages: $24 million ($171 million today). Deaths: 61 people.

“This Pacific-wide tsunami was caused by the largest recorded earthquake in the 20th century. Unfortunately, many Hilo residents in the bayfront area refused to leave their homes because of the relatively small damage caused by tsunamis in 1952 and 1957. Additionally, the first few of an eventual succession of eight waves were just over 3 feet, so people who had left low-lying areas returned. Subsequent waves would grow to an overwhelming 35 feet.

“As with the 1946 tsunami, the entire Hilo downtown business area suffered heavy damages, and the newly rebuilt Shinmachi town was totally destroyed. Shinmachi was never rebuilt. A portion of Wailoa State Park is now located where Shinmachi once thrived, and much of Hilo’s bayfront is now grass-filled park space.” (Sim, Vanessa. “Three tsunamis that changed Hilo and Hawaii’s Big Island.” Hawai‘i Magazine, 11-25-2009.)

Sources

CBS/AP. “Hawaii’s 1960 Tsunami.” CBS News, 2-27-2010. Accessed 5-8-2020 at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaiis-1960-tsunami/

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, May 23, 1960. “Tsunami Hits Hawaii.” Accessed 12/7/2008 at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&displayDate=05/23&categoryId=disaster

Schmitt, Robert C. Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii. 2-2-2009, 86 pages. Accessed 9-20-2012 at: Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii – eVols – University of Hawaii. Accessed at: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fevols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu%2Fbitstream%2Fhandle%2F10524%2F150%2FJL03074.pdf%3Fsequence%3D2&ei=UPSvVK2bLoO4yQTO74L4DA&usg=AFQjCNHER9A57xAr6d0m9mJcnsc4F2Z8Gg&bvm=bv.83339334,d.aWw

Sim, Vanessa. “Three tsunamis that changed Hilo and Hawaii’s Big Island.” Hawai‘i Magazine, 11-25-2009. Accessed 5-8-2020 at: https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/blogs/hawaii_today/2009/11/25/tsunami_Hilo_Big_Island_Hawaii

United States Geological Survey. Deaths in the United States from Earthquakes (website). July 16, 2008 update. Accessed at: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/us_deaths.php