Sixty years ago, in the middle of the night on March 27, 1964, Port Alberni was hit with a tidal wavesa国际传媒攚hat we now call a tsunami. It was Good Friday, and most people were asleep.
The wavesa国际传媒攁ctually a series of three wavessa国际传媒攚ere a result of an earthquake off the coast of Alaska that measured 8.5 on the Richter scale.
The water funneled up the Alberni Inlet from the west coast, gathering speed as the inlet or canal narrowed and spilling over the shoreline.
The tsunami remains a pivotal event in the history of the Alberni Valley, even though the number of people who experienced it are dwindling.
Geo Monrufet was 15 years old in 1964 and his father owned the famed MV Lady Rose passenger and cargo vessel. His father received word that a tidal wave was on its way, so he and Geo drove from Sproat Lake to the city.
sa国际传媒淲e arrived to see the first wave hit by the pulp mill,sa国际传媒� Monrufet recalls.
sa国际传媒淲e took the high ground to be able to get down to the Lady Rose dock. It had broken loose except for one rope; we were able to jump on board and Dad started the engine.sa国际传媒�
Geo worked in the engine room while his father was in the wheel room, maneuvering the vessel into the harbour to ride the rest of the waves. Monrufet still chokes up when he remembers the experience.
Monrufet is part of the Port Alberni Maritime Heritage Society that has planned a special event on March 27 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Port Alberni tsunami. He and others will be sharing their stories and encouraging others to come and share theirs as well.
Michael Lyle was 14 years old in March 1964 and living with his aunt on Kitsuksis Road while his mothersa国际传媒攁 telephone operatorsa国际传媒攍ived in a home on Golden Street. Lyle remembers his mother was working the night shift on March 27.
sa国际传媒淪he called and said theresa国际传媒檚 going to be a tidal wave, and could we go to her house to get her dogssa国际传媒e got to the bottom of Kitsuksis Road and there was water. The water was already up to Mary Street and we werensa国际传媒檛 able to get to Golden Street,sa国际传媒� he related.
He had to backtrack to Johnston Road. sa国际传媒淲e could see houses and garages and stuff going down the river. There were boats up on the road. It was quite a while before we could get to my mothersa国际传媒檚 house.sa国际传媒� When he finally made it the next day, he learned the dogs had spent their time on the couch and werensa国际传媒檛 affected by the six to eight inches of floodwater that had entered her home.
Lyle said once the waves receded sa国际传媒渢here was a horrible stink. It was the black mud that came up from the bottom of the canal.sa国际传媒�
Loretta Parkinson was working in Wardsa国际传媒檚 Cleaners at Second Avenue and Athol Street when the tsunami hit. She said the first she heard about the waves was from a phone callsa国际传媒攆rom Seattle, Washington.
She was busy inside, where there are no windows.
sa国际传媒淚 didnsa国际传媒檛 hear any alarms,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淎s soon as I got down to the office I got a phone call.sa国际传媒�
It was relatives from Seattle frantically asking if she was OK: they had heard about the earthquake in Alaska and the tidal waves that hit Port Alberni. It took a few minutes to calm them down and reassure them that she was finesa国际传媒攈er home was well out of the inundation zone.
She said the commercial laundry was busy for weeks after the event. sa国际传媒淲e got all the linens from the hotels in the low-lying areas,sa国际传媒� she said. The Greenwood (where Oceansa国际传媒arina is now), the Barclay Hotel, which was previously located at the bottom of Redford Street, the Somass Motel, Riverside Auto Court sa国际传媒� they were all affected by flooding.
Unlike Parkinson, Bob Cole and some of his friendssa国际传媒攁ll teenagers at the timesa国际传媒攕aw the first wave hit. sa国际传媒淲e saw the first swell at the bottom of Argyle Street,sa国际传媒� Cole recalled. They were driving in Colesa国际传媒檚 fathersa国际传媒檚 car toward River Road.
He remembers the sa国际传媒渋n-betweensa国际传媒� time, before a tidal wave hits, when water is drawn away from shore.
sa国际传媒淭he Somass River went almost dry,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淭hen we saw sparks from the pulp millsa国际传媒� as the water surged. sa国际传媒淭he next thing we see is a white pickup truck tumbling up the river.sa国际传媒�
He said he could hear crunching and rumbling as the water surged.
He was driving on River Road when the water reached the road (it wasnsa国际传媒檛 built up as it is today).
He turned right onto Josephine Street, he said, but he wasnsa国际传媒檛 able to outrun the water even with the group pushing the car. He remembers seeing people fleeing their homes with boxes in their arms, and still regrets not stopping to help them.
sa国际传媒淚 called home after midnightsa国际传媒 said the clutch went and theresa国际传媒檚 been a tidal wave,sa国际传媒� he recalled. sa国际传媒淒ad said sa国际传媒榶ousa国际传媒檝e told some tales, but this one takes the cake.sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒�
Cole said witnessing the tsunami first hand sa国际传媒渋s something that sticks in my mind.sa国际传媒�
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