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.

A woman recalls the lifestyles of her mother, a teacher; father, a plantation engineer; uncle, a plantation manger; and aunt. She also describes Lahaina town and Lahainaluna School and the effect of World War II on her daily life. Safe at school when the 1946 tsunami hit, she relates how the ocean looked that day and how the tidal wave affected Spreckelsville and Mala village.

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.

Maui-born man describes his traditional Hawaiian upbringing, fishing and growing taro for subsistence, in isolated Keanae. He touches on his various jobs, including county and Civilian Conservation Corps work. Although he only saw the aftermath of the April 1, 1946 tsunami, he recounts the experiences of his family and neighbors.

A part-Hawaiian man recalls living in Kahului with his musician grandmother and businessman grandfather. Six years old on April 1, 1946, he tells of running with his grandparents from the tsunami that washed into their Kahului Beach Road home. He also outran the 1960 tsunami and witnessed the damage it caused in Kahului.

Haiku-born man remembers growing up in a plantation camp. A Lahaina Technical School boarder, he worked for HC&S sugar plantation after graduation. He and a coworker were working on Spreckelsville beach when the 1946 tsunami hit Maui. In their escape, he particularly recalls the roar of the incoming water.