Sixty years ago, in the middle of the night on March 27, 1964, Port Alberni was hit with a tidal wave乌鸦传媒攚hat we now call a tsunami. It was Good Friday, and most people were asleep.
The wave乌鸦传媒攁ctually a series of three waves乌鸦传媒攚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.
乌鸦传媒淲e arrived to see the first wave hit by the pulp mill,乌鸦传媒� Monrufet recalls.
乌鸦传媒淲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.乌鸦传媒�
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 mother乌鸦传媒攁 telephone operator乌鸦传媒攍ived in a home on Golden Street. Lyle remembers his mother was working the night shift on March 27.
乌鸦传媒淪he called and said there乌鸦传媒檚 going to be a tidal wave, and could we go to her house to get her dogs乌鸦传媒e got to the bottom of Kitsuksis Road and there was water. The water was already up to Mary Street and we weren乌鸦传媒檛 able to get to Golden Street,乌鸦传媒� he related.
He had to backtrack to Johnston Road. 乌鸦传媒淲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 mother乌鸦传媒檚 house.乌鸦传媒� When he finally made it the next day, he learned the dogs had spent their time on the couch and weren乌鸦传媒檛 affected by the six to eight inches of floodwater that had entered her home.
Lyle said once the waves receded 乌鸦传媒渢here was a horrible stink. It was the black mud that came up from the bottom of the canal.乌鸦传媒�
Loretta Parkinson was working in Ward乌鸦传媒檚 Cleaners at Second Avenue and Athol Street when the tsunami hit. She said the first she heard about the waves was from a phone call乌鸦传媒攆rom Seattle, Washington.
She was busy inside, where there are no windows.
乌鸦传媒淚 didn乌鸦传媒檛 hear any alarms,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淎s soon as I got down to the office I got a phone call.乌鸦传媒�
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 fine乌鸦传媒攈er home was well out of the inundation zone.
She said the commercial laundry was busy for weeks after the event. 乌鸦传媒淲e got all the linens from the hotels in the low-lying areas,乌鸦传媒� she said. The Greenwood (where Ocean乌鸦传媒arina is now), the Barclay Hotel, which was previously located at the bottom of Redford Street, the Somass Motel, Riverside Auto Court 乌鸦传媒� they were all affected by flooding.
Unlike Parkinson, Bob Cole and some of his friends乌鸦传媒攁ll teenagers at the time乌鸦传媒攕aw the first wave hit. 乌鸦传媒淲e saw the first swell at the bottom of Argyle Street,乌鸦传媒� Cole recalled. They were driving in Cole乌鸦传媒檚 father乌鸦传媒檚 car toward River Road.
He remembers the 乌鸦传媒渋n-between乌鸦传媒� time, before a tidal wave hits, when water is drawn away from shore.
乌鸦传媒淭he Somass River went almost dry,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淭hen we saw sparks from the pulp mill乌鸦传媒� as the water surged. 乌鸦传媒淭he next thing we see is a white pickup truck tumbling up the river.乌鸦传媒�
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 wasn乌鸦传媒檛 built up as it is today).
He turned right onto Josephine Street, he said, but he wasn乌鸦传媒檛 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.
乌鸦传媒淚 called home after midnight乌鸦传媒 said the clutch went and there乌鸦传媒檚 been a tidal wave,乌鸦传媒� he recalled. 乌鸦传媒淒ad said 乌鸦传媒榶ou乌鸦传媒檝e told some tales, but this one takes the cake.乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
Cole said witnessing the tsunami first hand 乌鸦传媒渋s something that sticks in my mind.乌鸦传媒�
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