By the way, the cruise ships still come to Hilo. The reason they don't come there as often as they do to Maui and Kona is because of the weather, not because of the effects of the tsunami ("tidal wave" is a misnomer).

Two big tsunami hit Hilo in the 20th century, in 1946 and 1960. But things have been pretty well cleaned up since then! Here are some photos from the 1960 tsunami, and here's some information about the tsunami and its effects on Hilo. (In the photo site, the first picture is of a group of people standing at the water's edge, hoping to see the water rush out before the first wave arrives! I don't know what happened to them, but it just goes to show you that stupidity knows no boundaries...)

We actually had a tsunami hit the island soon after I moved there in 1994. We left town and went inland to Waimea. The biggest wave turned out to be 18 inches high! Apparently while seismic analysis can help the experts predict that a tsunami will arrive, they can't tell just how big it will be until it reaches land.

Aloha,
Mark
(We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread)