|
Tsunamis of the Century In Hawaii, there have been many tsunamis in the past century that have resulted in more lost lives than any of the other local disasters. In the 20th century about 221 people have died by tsunamis. Most of these lives have been taken on the Big Island of Hawaii in the tsunamis of 1946 and 1960. The two tsunamis have been the biggest tsunamis to hit the Pacific so far. 1946
The 1946 tusnami was caused by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that happened in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The tsunami hit the Big Island on April 1st. The tsunami flooded downtown areas of Hilo. It ended up killing 159 people and caused more then 26 million dollars worth in damages. 1952 On November 4,1952 a tsunami hit the Big Island and downtown Hilo. It was caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Alaska. In Hawaii, the damage of these waves were guessed to be from 800,000-1,000,000 dollars. Luckily, no lives were lost in the tsunami. Boats smashed through houses along the shore, demolishing piers, ruining beaches, and turning paved roads into little pieces. 1957 On March 9,1957 a tsunami was caused by a magnitude 8.t earthquake that happened on Aleutian Island in Alaska. The Tsunami did great damage on the Adak Islands of Alaska,especially to their fuel and oil docks. The damage was worth 5,000,000 dollars. 1960  On May 23,1960 a tsunami struck Hilo. It was caused by a magnitude 8.3 earthquake in Chile. The wave was 35 feet high and caused major damage. At least 61 deaths were recorded. There was 23 million dollars worth of damage done by the tsunami. When the tsunami was over, only reinforced concrete or structural steel buildings where still standing. Most of the framed buildings were either crushed and were floating due to the flooding that occurred. 1975 On November 29, 1975 an earthquake happened off the coast of the Big Island. 32 campers were at Halape Beach Park when the tsunami hit. 19 of the 32 campers suffered massive injuries and 2 people died. The campers heard falling rocks from a cliff not too far away. Due to this the campers ran closer to the ocean area. Then when they saw the waves coming, they ran back to the cliff area. A series of 4 waves hit the area. Note: Pictures from Pacific Tsunami Center- Permission granted. |
|
|
 |