Evelyn Lyn Miyazaki Kagawa, nisei, was born June 22, 1922 in Tacoma, Washington. Her parents, Carl Shintaro Miyazaki and Matsuko Matsukawa Miyazaki immigrated to America from Kumamoto and Ehime prefectures, respectively. Kagawa, the second of four children, was raised and educated in Tacoma, graduating from Stadium High School. She was attending the College of Puget Sound when World War II broke out. Carl Miyazaki, a leader in the local Japanese community, was picked up by the FBI and interned as an enemy alien at Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Fred Iona, a Hawaiian-Portuguese farmer, was born on March 19, 1899, in Pahoehoe, South Kana, Hawaii. He was the youngest of eight children, and his father was a teacher at Alae School. Iona left school after the fourth grade to work on the Magoon Ranch in Pahoehoe. He eventually acquired his own land and cultivated various crops, including 'awa, banana, macadamia nuts, and peanuts. Iona is an active member of the Macadamia Nut Growers Association and continues to farm his land.

Fusae Tanaka Takaki was born May 28, 1923 in Hilo. She was the youngest of four children born to Eijiro Tanaka and Kura Hano Tanaka, both immigrants from Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Eijiro Tanaka worked as a stone crusher, stevedore, and merchant marine. Her mother sold lunches and snacks from her car near Coconut Island and the Hilo wharf area. Takaki was raised in the Shinmachi district of Hilo, home to a large portion of Hilo's Japanese population.

Gabriel Ka'eo, a native Hawaiian, was born on February 18, 1903, in Wai'ea, South Kana, Hawaii. His parents were Jones Emmanuel Ka'eo and Harriet Kamoku. Throughout his life, Gabriel lived in various places including Kealia, Hookena, Kana, and Honolulu. He held a variety of jobs such as a sugar plantation laborer, coffee picker, stevedore, contractor, and a stone wall builder. In 1926, he married Katherine Ka'ai and they had two children. As of the time of the interview in 1980, Gabriel was residing in Hookena.

Harold P. Luscomb was born April 27, 1926 in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. His Hilo-bom father, Harold P. Luscomb, Sr., had moved to Pennsylvania to work for Westinghouse Electric Company and to work toward a degree in electrical engineering. There he met his wife, Helen Jones Luscomb. Harold Jr., the couple's only child, was raised at the home of his maternal grandparents in Pittsburgh. At the age of ten, Harold, his father, and mother moved to Hilo, where his father was employed by Hilo Electric Light Company.

A man who grew up in Keanae tells of his parents' background, his schooling, and army tour of duty. He describes the 1946 tidal wave which took the life of his aunt. The escape of his mother and her grandchildren, death of his aunt, Young Men's Christian Association and Red Cross assistance, and current precautions are among the topics discussed.

Hayato Okino was born August 18, 1912, in the Waiakea Town section of Hilo. He was the fourth of five children of Shimakichi Okino and Tsune Hamasaki Okino, who both immigrated to Hawai'i from Japan in 1901. Okino attended Wa.iakea Kai, Hilo Junior High, and Hilo High schools, graduating in 1932. His first job after graduation was an auto parts salesman for Ruddle Sales and Service in Hilo. Twenty-three years later, in 1955, he started his own auto parts business, Automotive Supply Center. The building was complete destroyed in the 1960 tsunami.

A woman recalls her Okinawan immigrant parents who were banana farmers and pineapple field workers. She describes her Maliko Gulch banana farm and neighborhood. Alerted by neighbors, she and her siblings climbed a hill and watched the 1946 tidal waves roll in and pull up trees and plants.

Originally from Oregon, a woman tells of her family's relocation to Hawaii and subsequent moves to Hilo and Lahaina. She shares childhood memories of December 7, 1941. Also remembered is the effect of the 1946 tsunami on her Lahaina home and aunt's Spreckelsville home.

A man recaps his life story from family background, growing up in Hana, and life in Hamoa. He describes the waves and destruction that occurred in Hamoa on April 1, 1946.