Pacific Tsunami Museum

 

Pacific Tsunami Museum

The Pacific Tsunami Museum (English: Pacific Tsunami Museum) is a museum in Hilo, Hawaii, United States (Hawaii Island) that is affiliated with the International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC), the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), and the University of Hawaii at Hilo, as well as state and county civil defense agencies. 

A memorandum of understanding was signed in June 2015 with the Ofunato Tsunami Folklore Museum in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture .

Overview

This section contains information and resources about tsunami science. The goal is to equip you with tsunami-awareness and to make your studies and research easier. Self-assessment tools, basic tsunami concepts, tsunami forecasting protocols, frequently asked questions (FAQs), animations, hoax photos, tsunami signs from around the world, a glossary, and links to answer additional questions are all available.

Hour

Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

General Admission: $8:00

$7:00 for seniors and kama'aina

Children (6-17 years old): $4.00

Toddlers (children aged 5 and under): Free

History

Dr. Walter Dudley and Jeanne Branch Johnston co-founded the Pacific Tsunami Museum (PTM). Dr. Dudley published the first edition of Tsunami! in 1988, in which he asked the community for survivor stories. Jeanne Branch Johnston, a tsunami survivor, saw the need for a tsunami museum in Hilo in 1993. As Jeanne investigated the possibility of establishing a museum, she discovered that others were enthusiastic, and a steering committee was formed. Originally known as the "Hilo Tsunami Museum," it was later renamed the "Pacific Tsunami Museum" (PTM). Susan Gaughan Tissot joined the PTM in December 1993, bringing her knowledge and experience with museum projects. Susan was appointed Executive Director of PTM in 1994.

First Hawaiian Bank donated its Kamehameha Branch building in downtown Hilo as a permanent home for the PTM on May 22, 1997. The donation was announced on the front steps of the historic bank building by Bank Chairman and CEO Walter A. Dods, Jr. It was the 37th anniversary of the day the tsunami warning sirens sounded on May 23, 1960, which devastated Hilo. The ceremony was attended by Hawai'i Island Mayor Stephen Yamashiro and PTM Board President Jim Wilson. Other PTM board members, as well as members of the scientific advisory council, were present at this historic event.