His house didn’t make it. Neither did the family store. But Godfrey Ching survived the April 1, 1946, tsunami that killed 159 people in Hawaii and caused $26 million in damage across the state — more than $315 million in today’s dollars.
Ching, then 15 and now the 86-year-old owner of the rebuilt Ching’s Punaluu Store, was inside his Punaluu home getting ready for school when the first wave struck after 7 a.m. Outside, in the chaos, he saw the water recede and the next big wave forming, and he ran as fast as he could inland.
“Too bad nobody had a cellphone (camera) like now,” he said with a laugh.
There were, however, other kinds of cameras, and a coalition of government agencies is now interested in finding historical images linked to the 1946 event and any other tsunami that has swept onto Oahu.
The Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s International Tsunami Information Center, and the Hawaii State Public Library System have joined forces to identify, preserve and archive historic images of the effects of tsunami events on Oahu.
“Ask your family members. Ask your sibling. Ask your grandmother. Look around various places. Are there pictures hanging on the walls? What can we do to preserve and archive so that we don’t forget what happened 71 years ago?” said Laura Kong, director of the International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC).
The Oahu Historical Tsunami Photo Project is asking residents who have family photographs that show tsunami damage or any aftereffects to share them on a website, tsunamiphotos.org.
Staff members from the Department of Emergency Management and ITIC will be on hand at Oahu’s libraries to assist with the archive phase of the project, starting today from noon to 4 p.m. at the Liliha Public Library.
Other events where people can bring their photos for scanning:
>> Aina Haina Public Library, May 12, noon to 4 p.m.
>> Waianae Public Library, May 25, noon to 4 p.m.
>> Wahiawa Public Library, May 26, noon to 4 p.m.
>> Kahuku Public School and Library, June 20, 3 to 7 p.m.
Department of Emergency Management staff members will scan and catalog the images and return them immediately. A signed release form is required for the use of the images on the tsunamiphotos.org website.
In addition, residents can upload images, view existing images or obtain more information about the project at the website.
“Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific, and we are the target for all the tsunamis from the ring of fire,” Kong said. “It’s one of the reasons we emphasize preparedness.”
Waves higher than 30 feet hit the North Shore, Waianae and East Oahu during the 1946 tsunami that came from the Aleutian Islands. While most of the fatalities and damage occurred on Hawaii island, six people died on Oahu.
There were also significant tsunamis in 1952, 1957, 1960, 1964 and 2011, when Hawaii experienced $30 million in damage.
“This is the time,” Kong said. “It’s now 70 years since ’46. The last big event was in 1964. I think there are a lot of memories. I don’t know that there are a lot of photos, because I don’t know how many people had cameras. But if we can get one, two, five, 10, that would be unbelievable.”
Daniel Walker, a former University of Hawaii seismology professor and tsunami adviser to the county, said that if the 1946 tsunami happened today, the damage might approach a billion dollars or more.
“It’s mind-boggling to think what the amount would be if we had a ’46 event in this day and age. Guaranteed it’s going to happen,” he said.
“That’s why all of this is important. We can’t let people forget these things. They have to be aware of the danger that’s out there. And these things that have happened in the past will happen in the future here. The damage will be much greater than in the past — much greater.”
