Pacific Tsunami Museum

About

The Pacific Tsunami Museum stands in downtown Hilo in the historic First Savings and Loan Association building, a 1930s structure that survived both the 1946 and 1960 tsunamis that devastated the surrounding blocks. The museum was founded by Hilo community members—many of them survivors or relatives of those lost—who recognized that the human experience of natural disasters deserved preservation alongside the science. The museum's exhibits move between science and story: detailed explanations of tsunami generation mechanics, wave dynamics, and early warning systems are woven together with first-person survivor testimony from the 1946 event (which killed 96 people in Hilo, many of them schoolchildren) and the 1960 Chilean tsunami that killed 61 more. Video testimonies, photographs, personal artifacts, and community records make the science immediate and human. Hilo sits in one of the highest-risk tsunami zones in the United States, and the museum functions as both a memorial and a living educational institution, helping residents and visitors understand why the low-lying Bayfront district was permanently cleared of residences after 1960. Today that land is home to parks, hotels, and cultural institutions—a visible reminder of how community resilience can reshape a city. The museum is currently operating a limited weekend schedule as it undergoes a revitalization effort. Check the website for the most current hours before visiting.

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