Ivy Carbonell
Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories
These interviews are part of the Center for Oral History's project, Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories. Interviews from this project are available in the Center's ScholarSpace open-access repository.
This collection of interviews represent first-person accounts of any tsunami occurring in Maui County. Although the most severe tsunami occurred on April 1, 1946, some residents recalled tsunamis occurring as far back as 1923. In addition to the first-person accounts, the interviewees provide descriptions of the areas that they grew up in. They also provide advice to the readers on what to do in the event of future tsunamis.
The Center for Oral History (COH), in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, collects, documents, preserves and highlights the recollections of Native Hawaiians and the multi-ethnic people of Hawaiʻi. It produces oral histories and interpretive historical materials about lifeways, key historic events, social movements and Hawaiʻi’s role in the globalizing world, for the widest possible use.
A Puunene-born woman speaks of her family and growing up in Spanish B Camp. She describes teenage life when she attended St. Anthony's School in the 1950s. Also mentioned are her jobs, marriage, and children. She presents a detailed account of her escape from the 1960 tsunami which inundated Kahului and tells of the major cleanup which followed.
Program Note:
This interview is part of the Center for Oral History's project Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories. Interviews from this project are available in the Center's ScholarSpace open access repository.
The Center for Oral History (COH), in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, collects, documents, preserves and highlights the recollections of Native Hawaiians and the multi-ethnic people of Hawaiʻi. It produces oral histories and interpretive historical materials about lifeways, key historic events, social movements and Hawaiʻi’s role in the globalizing world, for the widest possible use.
Please Note: The oral histories in this collection are protected by copyright and have been created for educational, research and personal use as described by the Fair Use Doctrine in the U.S. Copyright law. Please reach out Voices@noaa.gov to let us know how these interviews are being used in your research, project, exhibit, etc. The Voices staff can help provide other useful resources related to your inquiry.
The NOAA mission is to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. The Voices Oral History Archives offers public access to a wide range of accounts, including historical materials that are products of their particular times, and may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes.
Voices Oral History Archives does not verify the accuracy of materials submitted to us. The opinions expressed in the interviews are those of the interviewee only. The interviews here have been made available to the public only after the interviewer has confirmed that they have obtained consent.