Stop 1 Hilo Bay
A long, tiring day of hiking and venturing through Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park made the morning after (Day 4) just that much more difficult to wake up to. We arrived in Hilo the night before and grubbed at Ken's House of Pancakes. The weather in Hilo that morning was cloudy and humid; the norm for an area located by a large body of water with prevailing winds.
Hilo is the largest city on the main island of Hawai`i. With a population of approximately 43,000 people, the city offered a large diversity of people, a beautiful tropical rainforest climate, and a rich history that made the area an irresistible stop. Tsunamis in Hilo The first stop of the day wasn’t too far from our hotel in Hilo. Uncle Billy’s Bay Hotel was located within the bay of Hilo, known |
sometimes as the tsunami capital of the United States. A tsunami is the Japanese term for a massive tidal wave formed from a submarine earthquake. The uplifting and down-dropping of the seafloor moves an entire water column up and down, creating waves that can potentially cause permanent damage to the coasts of near landmasses (USGS.gov). Being located on the west side of earthquake-prone Chile and the Aleutian Islands makes Hilo susceptible to tsunamis. Hilo Bay has been affected by two known tsunamis. An unexpected tidal wave in 1946 derived from an earthquake in the Aleutian Islands and killed 96 people. Soon after, a tsunami originating from Chile killed 61 people in Hilo Bay in 1960.
Pacific Tsunami Museum
In efforts "to promote public tsunami awareness and education for the people of Hawai`i and the Pacific Region" (Pacific Tsunami Museum), the Pacific Tsunami Museum was established in 1994 by Susan Gaughan Tissot, a tsunami survivor. The museum was located respectively in Hilo. For more information on the Pacific Tsunami Museum, we encourage you to visit their website. |
Sources
Curtis, George. "Tsunamis." Atlas of Hawai`i. Ed. Sonia P. Juvik and James O. Juvik. Third ed. Honolulu: University of Hawai`i, 1998. 76-78. Print
"Hilo, Hawai`i (PHTO)." National Weather Service Pacific Region Headquarters. National Weather Service. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. (http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/climate/phto_clim.php).
"The Pacific Tsunami Museum Archives." The Pacific Tsunami Museum. Pacific Tsunami Inc. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. (http://www.tsunami.org/archives.html).
"The Pacific Tsunami Museum Historical Highlights." The Pacific Tsunami Museum. Pacific Tsunami Museum Inc. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. (http://www.tsunami.org/historical.html).
"Tsunamis and Earthquakes -Basics - USGS WCMG." Home Page - USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center. United States Geological Survey. Web. 08 Dec. 2011 (http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/tsunami/basics.html).
Banner photo by Ezra Zeitler
"Hilo, Hawai`i (PHTO)." National Weather Service Pacific Region Headquarters. National Weather Service. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. (http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/climate/phto_clim.php).
"The Pacific Tsunami Museum Archives." The Pacific Tsunami Museum. Pacific Tsunami Inc. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. (http://www.tsunami.org/archives.html).
"The Pacific Tsunami Museum Historical Highlights." The Pacific Tsunami Museum. Pacific Tsunami Museum Inc. Web. 09 Dec. 2011. (http://www.tsunami.org/historical.html).
"Tsunamis and Earthquakes -Basics - USGS WCMG." Home Page - USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center. United States Geological Survey. Web. 08 Dec. 2011 (http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/tsunami/basics.html).
Banner photo by Ezra Zeitler