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1998 First Place Winner
Story by Jaci Coloma
Interviewee: Leonie Kawaihona Laeha Poy
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I interviewed my Laupahoehoe Grandma, Leonie Kawaihona Laeha Poy. My Grandma lives at Laupahoehoe Point, and this is her story she shared with me.
The tsunami took place on April 1, 1946. My Grandma said she was waiting for her girlfriends to come to her house. The first bus load of children normally arrived at 6:30 a.m., and her friends would keep her company while she got ready for school, many times having breakfast together. When they didn't come, she looked out the window and noticed so many children lined up along the seashore and more walking through the school park to join them. She told Uncle Will (my Grandma's brother) to pack her on his bike and they rode down to the beach, too. When they arrived at the beach, there was no water!! Grandma and Uncle didn't know what was happening, but they did know some thing was terribly wrong. So they went home quickly to wake up their father. My great−grandfather, William Laeha, got up, changed his clothes, grabbed the car keys, and drove them up to the main road.
On they way up, my Grandma looked behind, and she could see this really big wave! The waves were so big they came over the coconut trees!! And the school children were running through the park, trying to get to higher ground.
My Grandma, Great−grandfather, and Uncle sat on the stone wall. There were other people there, too. They all watched as the huge waves tore and washed away the teacher′s cottages, the park's grandstand, the boys and girls bathrooms, the homemaking rooms, the shop building, and homes on the Branco side. But the most sad thing to see, were the people bobbing up and down in the water. . . friends and relatives swept into the ocean. My Grandma remembers crying because she could see her friends and classmates in the water and she couldn't help them. Every one that was safe hugged each other and cried for those they couldn't help.
My Grandma was a sophomore at the time. She remembers the damage and the mess the tsunami caused. She remembers they kept finding bodies while cleaning up the Point. School was cancelled for several days. Many students died. Faculty and staff had died, too. It was a hard time for everyone.
Today, my Grandpa and Grandma Poy still live at Laupahoehoe Point. But the school has moved. There is a monument honoring and identifying all those lost in the tidal wave. Many people, today, come and put flowers on the monument. They take pictures, too. People even stop at my Grandpa and Grandma′s house to ask about the tsunami. Every time we walk down to the beach to swim or fish, the monument reminds us of a sad day fifty−two years ago.
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All materials © Copyright 1996-2007 Pacific Tsunami Museum Inc.
130 Kamehameha Ave Hilo, HI 96720 tel: 808-935-0926 FAX: 808-935-0842
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Last Revised November 2007
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