Hilo Bay Tsunami
29 April 2011
The Hilo Bay: Tsunami Magnet of Hawaii On the afternoon of 22 May 1960 the Valdivia Earthquake struck the country of Chile with devastating repercussions for the Chilean people and people around the world. The Earthquake rated a 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale and is, to date, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. It occurred at roughly 1911 GMT, 1411 local time, and generated a massive tsunami that struck Hawaii approximately fifteen hours later. The tsunami caused little damage to the Hawaiian Islands in general, except in the case of one particular town on the coast of Hilo Bay, on the main island of Hawaii. The tsunami’s power at Hilo Bay was magnified many times compared to its effects throughout the rest of Hawaii. This magnification effect was due to the unique location and topographical features of the bay, which caused the tsunami surges to increase in size and strength by an order of magnitude. In addition to the increase in tsunami size and power, insufficient public education and awareness also contributed to the scope of the disaster. In the end the waves caused nearly $75 million in damage and claimed 61 lives. In order to understand the disaster at Hilo Bay, it is prudent to examine some of the information about the Great Chilean Earthquake that caused it. The Valdivia Earthquake was the largest ever recorded and caused incredible damage in the cities of Temuco and Valdivia. Over 1,655 people were killed, 3,000 were injured, and nearly 2,000,000 people found themselves homeless. The quake also caused some $550 million dollars in damage (adjusted for inflation, that’s nearly $3 billion 2011 dollars!) (Wikipedia).
The main quake caused significant damage due to the obvious trembling and shaking expected in such a massive earthquake, but even more damage was caused by the tsunami that was generated. The massive wave quickly destroyed coastal towns, liquefied the soil, polluted local water sources due to massive erosion and
The Hilo Bay: Tsunami Magnet of Hawaii On the afternoon of 22 May 1960 the Valdivia Earthquake struck the country of Chile with devastating repercussions for the Chilean people and people around the world. The Earthquake rated a 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale and is, to date, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. It occurred at roughly 1911 GMT, 1411 local time, and generated a massive tsunami that struck Hawaii approximately fifteen hours later. The tsunami caused little damage to the Hawaiian Islands in general, except in the case of one particular town on the coast of Hilo Bay, on the main island of Hawaii. The tsunami’s power at Hilo Bay was magnified many times compared to its effects throughout the rest of Hawaii. This magnification effect was due to the unique location and topographical features of the bay, which caused the tsunami surges to increase in size and strength by an order of magnitude. In addition to the increase in tsunami size and power, insufficient public education and awareness also contributed to the scope of the disaster. In the end the waves caused nearly $75 million in damage and claimed 61 lives. In order to understand the disaster at Hilo Bay, it is prudent to examine some of the information about the Great Chilean Earthquake that caused it. The Valdivia Earthquake was the largest ever recorded and caused incredible damage in the cities of Temuco and Valdivia. Over 1,655 people were killed, 3,000 were injured, and nearly 2,000,000 people found themselves homeless. The quake also caused some $550 million dollars in damage (adjusted for inflation, that’s nearly $3 billion 2011 dollars!) (Wikipedia).
The main quake caused significant damage due to the obvious trembling and shaking expected in such a massive earthquake, but even more damage was caused by the tsunami that was generated. The massive wave quickly destroyed coastal towns, liquefied the soil, polluted local water sources due to massive erosion and
Cited: 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake. (2011, April 2). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1960_Valdivia_earthquake&oldid=427228853 CBS News (2010, February) Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved April 25, 2011, from http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2010/Feb/28/ln/hawaii2280360.html Hilo, Hawaii. (2011, April 10). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hilo,_Hawaii&oldid=426772492 The Pacific Tsunami Museum. (2011). A Dramatic Story of Life on Old Piopio Street in Hilo. Retrieved April 20, 2011, from http://www.tsunami.org/ U.S.G.S