Events tomorrow mark anniversary of Big Island tsunami
By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau
LAUPAHOEHOE, Hawai'i — The close-knit community of North Hilo will gather once again tomorrow to observe the anniversary of the deadly tsunami of 1946 that obliterated Laupahoehoe School and killed 24 students and teachers.
Hugh Clark • The Honolulu Advertiser
Lucille Chun, a retired civilian police employee who staffed the Laupahoehoe station, was head of the community council that helped launch the annual commemoration seven years ago.
A memorial stands at the site where 24 students and teachers died when the Laupahoehoe school was wiped out in the 1946 tsunami. A total of 159 people were killed on the Big Island.
She said it's more than a somber remembrance for the 1,720 residents of the former sugar plantation district.
Chun said she believes the April 1, 1946, tragedy that deeply hurt her community and killed a total of 159 on the Big Island also provides a common thread for its many ethnic groups and a constant reminder to newcomers and kama'aina of the ocean's potentially destructive force.
From the beginning, the commemoration has included educational activities and a cleanup of the county park at Laupahoehoe Point, where the old school was located before it was destroyed by the tsunami and where a modest memorial to the tsunami victims was erected.
The Laupahoehoe High and Elementary campus is more than a mile from the old site and sits on a slope well above the reach of any tsunami. All that remains of the old school is a gymnasium that escaped the 31-foot-high waves.
Participating in tomorrow's event will be the North Hilo Community Association, the Laupahoehoe School Alumni Association and the nearly 300 students of Laupahoehoe School. The day will begin with a memorial service at 8:30 a.m., followed by three talk-story sessions with area elders, including some survivors of the tsunami. The park cleanup will take place after lunch. All events are open to the public; the cost for lunch is $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and $2.50 for students.
Student body president Luke Margheim said the annual observance is the biggest event of the year for his small school. Past commemorations have taught him that tragedies from tsunamis can be averted "if we are smart," he said.
The day is more than a glance at the past, according to Dane Maikui, who graduated from Laupahoehoe School and now works there as an educational assistant. "A major aspect is taking a hard look at the future without sugar," he said.
The town's outlook for the 21st century will be discussed during tomorrow's talk-story sessions.
