Letter: Learn from Hawaii’s tsunami example

Published 11:54 am Monday, April 11, 2022

Our peninsula is a sea level sand spit that is very vulnerable to devastating impacts from tsunamis, whether generated from a distant source or more locally from fracturing of near shore faults. The danger of tsunamis has been known for some time, but only relatively recently has it become eminently clear just how at risk our communities are.

In my younger wandering days I lived for a time in the Waipio Valley on the big island of Hawaii and through local friends there, learned of the catastrophic effects of unexpected tsunami waves. One of the saddest places I’ve ever been to and that’s haunted me since was Laupahoehoe, site of a community school that was destroyed by a tsunami generated in the Aleutian Islands in 1946. All of the children and teachers were lost. Parents and community members who lived higher on the slope above survived but lived with intense sorrow ever after.

This event in 1946 led to the creation of a tsunami warning system that has since saved many lives. Our cars have also become far safer since 1946. As a child I wasn’t protected by seatbelts let alone car seats or airbags, but as dangers were identified and safety measures implemented, they became the norm. As a grandparent I would be considered derelict if I didn’t put my granddaughter Quincy in a car seat.

As a community we would be derelict if we do not provide our kids with the safest schools possible.

We wholeheartedly support this bond issue and encourage all community members to join us in voting yes.

LYNN and MIKE DICKERSON

Peninsula