A tsunami caused by an Alaskan earthquake in 1964 struck Port Alberni and Alberni, BC, causing millions in damage but no loss of life. The communities came together in recovery efforts, which led to their official amalgamation in 2007. The document discusses memories and photos of the tsunami's impact, as well as local businesses that operated at the time but have since closed. Residents are encouraged to share their own recollections of the event and long-gone companies.

1. 6 | ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2015 THISISTHEN
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This Is Then...
With Kris Patterson
With the anniversary coming up I
thought I would look back at an event that
brought our town together. The tidal wave
united Port Alberni and Alberni and this co-
operation lead to an official amalgamation in
October of 2007. I have had the pleasure to
talk with many residents and business owners
who were here during the tsunami and they
all echoed the spirit of working together.
A Tidal Wave (as it was called then)
or Tsunami, resulting from the Alaskan
earthquake which measured 8.4 on the
Richter scale, had struck the twin cities of
Alberni and Port Alberni. On March 28th,
1964, people in the Twin Cities woke up to
millions of dollars in damage (but no loss of
life) caused by a Tidal Wave that followed the
great Alaska earthquake.
Two impressive facts came out of the
event. One, there was no loss of life, and two,
the manner in which everyone had pulled
together to get through the night and the
immediate aftermath. My dad missed the
tsunami as he came here in 1967 and he did
a lot of research and along with a couple
of “on air” colleagues, produced a “radio
docudrama” which aired in the ‘80’s. The
realism of the show, helped out by a power
outage near the beginning, caused quite a stir.
I have recently found these reel to reel tapes
as well as film canisters marked as “tsunami
footage” that have yet to be developed. I will
be getting them converted and donated to the
museum as soon as I can.
The “ALBERNI VALLEY AND WEST
COAST DISASTER FUND” Flyer was
printed, a government sponsored relief
drive, for which income tax-deductible
contributions could be made at any bank or
credit union in BC. According to the late Fred
Bishop money and offers of assistance had
been coming in from all over Canada even
before this fund raising drive had started.
Tidal Waves Spare Life in Albernis
Was the headline in the Daily Colonist
on Sunday, March 29, 1964
51 years later, those who experienced
it, still remember the damaging ‘Tsunami’
that occurred following a Good Friday
earthquake near Anchorage, Alaska. The
Colonist reported, among many other things,
how “rampaging tidal waves swept up the
Alberni Inlet early Saturday Morning (March
28). creating havoc on the waterfront and
low-lying areas of Alberni and Port Alberni.
The first wave struck shortly after midnight
and at 1:35a.m. at high tide, a 16-foot wave,
increasing in force as it rushed 40 miles down
the narrow channel, sent water crashing over
the assembly wharf, swelling over the banks
of the Somass River to homes in the low-
lying River Road area of Alberni and surging
through several blocks of downtown Port
Alberni (actually lower Third Avenue).
The third wave at 3:50 a.m. was much
reduced in strength, and the fourth, at 4:15
a.m., was neutralized by low tide.”
Much has been written over the years
about the Tidal Wave, the millions of dollars
in damage it caused and the very remarkable
community recovery effort (assisted by
donations from virtually everywhere), but
I think it definitely deserves our attention
this week. What do you think? Were you
here at the time? Did you find out later on
that Saturday morning that something had
happened? Did you get called by a distant
relative wondering if you were okay?
Please email me your memories to
kpatterson@avtimes.net
Anyone who has lived in Port Alberni
for any length of time remembers 1964 as
the year of the “Tidal Wave” or Tsunami.
But can you recall local businesses from
1964, which no longer exist?
HAYS ROOFING & CHIMNEY SER-
VICE, ARROW KIRK COAL that was on
Roger Street, or PORT ALBERNI HOME
BUILDERS located on 4th Avenue North.
WEST COAST CONCRETE WORKS was
operating on Beaver Creek Road back in
’64, and Albina Major owned the Alberni
Delicatessen on Margaret Street, where Big
Pig Subs used to be.
When it came to department stores, we
had WOODWARD’S, WOOLWORTH’S,
ZELLERS, LAVERS, EATON’S, and WEB-
BER ROBINSON. There was no shortage
of drug stores either, including two CUN-
NINGHAMS locations, WATSON’S PHAR-
MACY, MACDONALD REXALL DRUGS,
MCKINNELL DRUGS LTD., AND WOOD-
WARD’S STORES DRUGS. Somass Drugs
was the last one still operating that was in
business in 1964, they closed down Decem-
ber 2013.
Can you still remember THE ALBERNI
FLORIST on Margaret? What about NEL-
SON’S LAUNDERERS & DRY CLEANERS
on 4th Avenue South? HELEN’S HOBBY &
ROCK SHOP is a name you don’t hear any-
more. COMPTON’S JEWELLERS, PORT
SHIPPING, KAY’S LADIES APPAREL,
ROSE LANE LADIES WEAR, and DEVOY’S
GROCERY are never talked about any-
more. A lot of local businesses have literally
disappeared since 1964. Please send me your
memories of these businesses and others
you would like to see in upcoming columns.
kpatterson@avtimes.net
Watch for more
This Is Then
in the AV Times
These two pictures out of Herb & Joan Humphries
photo album. They show some of the flood damage
on lower Third Avenue from slightly different angles
than I’ve seen before.
Some more photos showing the damage of the wave
This picture was taken at first light on Saturday, March 28, 1964 and it is
one of several highly recognizable shots that appeared in newspapers all over
the world. The wrecked Rambler at the Riverside Auto Court (now the loca-
tion of Clutesi Haven Marina) belonged to British Visitors Wilf and Shirley
Smith, who had come to Canada eight months before and were with rela-
tives on their first trip to Vancouver.