[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 57 (Thursday, April 14, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S2096]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PACIFIC TSUNAMI MUSEUM COMMEMORATION OF THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
                         1946 TSUNAMI IN HAWAII

  Mr. SCHATZ. Madam President, this year marks the 70th anniversary of 
the 1946 tsunami disaster in Hawaii. Early on the morning of April 1, 
1946, an undersea 8.1-magnitude earthquake off the Alaskan coast 
triggered a tragic event 5 hours and 2,400 miles away. Travelling at 
nearly 500 miles per hour, a succession of tsunami waves hit the 
Hawaiian Islands around breakfast time, devastating downtown Hilo on 
Hawaii Island and killing 96 people. Across the Hawaiian island chain, 
159 people lost their lives to the tsunami.
  In response to this disaster, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration established the Tsunami Warning System in 1948. Despite 
the system's proven effectiveness during two subsequent but minor 
tsunami events, another massive tsunami wave on May 23, 1960, took the 
lives of 61 Hilo residents. Many of the victims failed to take the 
warnings seriously or returned to their homes before the danger had 
passed. Another contributing factor was uninformed city planning that 
allowed residents to rebuild homes and businesses in tsunami risk 
zones. Shinmachi, a district in downtown Hilo rebuilt after the 1946 
tsunami, was destroyed again by the 1960 tsunami.
  While sobering, these tragedies are critical teaching opportunities. 
Decades after the disasters at Hilo, Dr. Walter Dudley and Jeanne 
Branch Johnston, a tsunami researcher and a tsunami survivor, 
respectively, envisioned a place where the public could remember and 
learn from these tragedies. Without sustained collective memory of the 
risk posed by tsunamis and complementary public outreach, they believed 
the tremendous progress in tsunami research and warning systems in the 
last half century would not prevent future disasters. After all, an 
unheeded warning is no warning at all.
  Since opening its doors in 1994, the Pacific Tsunami Museum, PTM, in 
Hilo has demonstrated its ability to catalyze public engagement with 
tsunami risk. Museum exhibits include the history of tsunamis in Hawaii 
and how past events have shaped the community and impacted long-range 
planning. The museum places strong emphasis on the human component of 
the tsunami story, the resiliency of a community that survived the 
disasters and also pays tribute to the victims. PTM also features 
exhibits on major tsunami events around the globe and frequently 
collaborates with sister institutions as far away as Sri Lanka. As part 
of its public outreach efforts, the museum has developed tsunami 
curricula and evacuation plans for schools, created publications on 
tsunami safety, and presented workshops and lectures on the issue both 
in Hawaii and abroad.
  April is Tsunami Awareness Month in Hawaii. On April 16, PTM will 
host a special open house commemorating the 70th anniversary of the 
1946 tsunami. This event seeks to promote awareness of tsunami risk, 
educate the public on appropriate responses to a tsunami warning, and 
honor the victims of Hilo's tsunami disasters.
  The need to continually cultivate community resilience to tsunami 
events inspired me to push for stronger Federal support for essential 
detection, forecast, warning, research, and preparedness programs. My 
colleagues, Senators Maria Cantwell of Washington and Dan Sullivan of 
Alaska, and I introduced the Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research 
Act of 2015. If signed into law, this bill would reinforce and amplify 
the great work being done by PTM.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering the tragic loss of life 
at Hilo in 1946 and 1960 and commending the Pacific Tsunami Museum for 
its tireless work to keep the public safe from tsunamis.

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