Sixty years ago, in the middle of the night on March 27, 1964, Port Alberni was hit with a tidal wave91裸聊视频攚hat we now call a tsunami. It was Good Friday, and most people were asleep.
The wave91裸聊视频攁ctually a series of three waves91裸聊视频攚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.
91裸聊视频淲e arrived to see the first wave hit by the pulp mill,91裸聊视频� Monrufet recalls.
91裸聊视频淲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.91裸聊视频�
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 mother91裸聊视频攁 telephone operator91裸聊视频攍ived in a home on Golden Street. Lyle remembers his mother was working the night shift on March 27.
91裸聊视频淪he called and said there91裸聊视频檚 going to be a tidal wave, and could we go to her house to get her dogs91裸聊视频e got to the bottom of Kitsuksis Road and there was water. The water was already up to Mary Street and we weren91裸聊视频檛 able to get to Golden Street,91裸聊视频� he related.
He had to backtrack to Johnston Road. 91裸聊视频淲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 mother91裸聊视频檚 house.91裸聊视频� When he finally made it the next day, he learned the dogs had spent their time on the couch and weren91裸聊视频檛 affected by the six to eight inches of floodwater that had entered her home.
Lyle said once the waves receded 91裸聊视频渢here was a horrible stink. It was the black mud that came up from the bottom of the canal.91裸聊视频�
Loretta Parkinson was working in Ward91裸聊视频檚 Cleaners at Second Avenue and Athol Street when the tsunami hit. She said the first she heard about the waves was from a phone call91裸聊视频攆rom Seattle, Washington.
She was busy inside, where there are no windows.
91裸聊视频淚 didn91裸聊视频檛 hear any alarms,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淎s soon as I got down to the office I got a phone call.91裸聊视频�
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 fine91裸聊视频攈er home was well out of the inundation zone.
She said the commercial laundry was busy for weeks after the event. 91裸聊视频淲e got all the linens from the hotels in the low-lying areas,91裸聊视频� she said. The Greenwood (where Ocean91裸聊视频arina is now), the Barclay Hotel, which was previously located at the bottom of Redford Street, the Somass Motel, Riverside Auto Court 91裸聊视频� they were all affected by flooding.
Unlike Parkinson, Bob Cole and some of his friends91裸聊视频攁ll teenagers at the time91裸聊视频攕aw the first wave hit. 91裸聊视频淲e saw the first swell at the bottom of Argyle Street,91裸聊视频� Cole recalled. They were driving in Cole91裸聊视频檚 father91裸聊视频檚 car toward River Road.
He remembers the 91裸聊视频渋n-between91裸聊视频� time, before a tidal wave hits, when water is drawn away from shore.
91裸聊视频淭he Somass River went almost dry,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭hen we saw sparks from the pulp mill91裸聊视频� as the water surged. 91裸聊视频淭he next thing we see is a white pickup truck tumbling up the river.91裸聊视频�
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 wasn91裸聊视频檛 built up as it is today).
He turned right onto Josephine Street, he said, but he wasn91裸聊视频檛 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.
91裸聊视频淚 called home after midnight91裸聊视频 said the clutch went and there91裸聊视频檚 been a tidal wave,91裸聊视频� he recalled. 91裸聊视频淒ad said 91裸聊视频榶ou91裸聊视频檝e told some tales, but this one takes the cake.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�
Cole said witnessing the tsunami first hand 91裸聊视频渋s something that sticks in my mind.91裸聊视频�
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