Local doctor recalls tsunami that hit Hawaii

Local doctor recalls tsunami that hit Hawaii

Asia quake sparks memory of 1957 disaster

By Madelyn Pennino
Intelligencer Journal

Published: Dec 31, 2004 9:22 AM EST
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Flying over the northern Hawaiian island of Kauai in a helicopter on March 9, 1957, a young surgeon, Dr. Charles Winter, watched a tsunami swallow village after village, spitting back only twigs and branches.

Winter, now an 83-year-old retired orthopedic surgeon and Lancaster resident, looks back on that fateful day and recalls the strange emotion that swelled within him as he watched from above.

"I was scared. I was raised not to be scared. There was nothing left. It was like firewood. I saw bridges washed away and 100 tons of concrete being lifted up," Winter said. "All the villages were missing. It looked like a knife cutting through the masonry."

Seeing footage of the devastation from the tsunami that steamrolled Asia Sunday brings back pointed memories for Winter.

"I feel so sad when I see some of the pictures," Winter said. "The devastation is so much worse."

The tsunami Winter witnessed formed after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan and traveled hundreds of miles to Kauai, thrashing portions of the island with water hurtling at speeds of more than 600 miles per hour. As he watched, waves up to 52 feet high engulfed the island.

Winter, who was a resident surgeon at a hospital in Kauai, volunteered to assist victims in the tsunami's immediate aftermath. A U.S. Marine Corps helicopter flew him into the heart of the devastation.

Winter said he will never forget the last words a Marine pilot said to him before dropping him off at the remains of a village. "He said, 'I will pray for you that there are no secondary waves because you will have no place to go.' "

And with those ominous words in mind, Winter began mending the broken bones and fractured bodies of men, women and children who were caught in the churning waters of the tsunami.

There was no secondary wave, and Winter did not encounter any fatalities. But Winter said many people were injured by debris while trying to escape the rushing waters.

"Almost everybody living in the lowlands lost their homes and businesses," he said.

The 1957 tsunami left 250 people homeless and caused more than $5 million in damage. Still, Winter said, the people of Kauai remained strong.

"Hawaiians are stoic," he said. "They said, 'God did this. There's nothing much we can do.' They are different people. They don't get excited."

Born in Magdeburg, Germany, Winter attended Frankfurt Medical Center. He aspired to become a citizen of the United States and used the U.S. Army to expedite his citizenship.

Winter enlisted in the Army and served as a battalion sergeant in the 40th Tank Battalion, a special attack unit stationed in Kauai, from 1953 until 1955. When his enlistment ended, Winter chose to stay in Kauai to serve his surgical residency.

When the tsunami hit, he did not hesitate to enter the low-lying areas and assist victims. "These people were poor, and there was no government aid," Winter said.

As Winter tended to injured villagers, he got a firsthand look at the extent of the destruction.

"I had seen hurricanes before," Winter said. "But this (tsunami) was so rare, so unusual."

Winter spent the day the tsunami hit caring for patients until a fleet of doctors arrived. Later that evening, he returned to the hospital.

Though his time with the victims was brief, Winter vividly remembers four decades later how the crashing waters swept away entire communities.

"I remember it like it was yesterday. It's something I knew I'd never forget."