A Day in the Life of: Nohe

After landing in the Hilo, we met our tour guide for the week, Nohe. Nohe was born in Hawaii and raises her growing family with her newly wed husband on the Big Island. She brought us to the Pacific Tsunami Museum and explained the history of Tsunamis in Hawaii to us. Nohe explained how natural disasters occur everywhere and people tend to think that living on the Big Island is dangerous. Between Tsunami warnings and the uncontrollable lava flow, Nohe claims that these are normal events on her island. The interpretation of all these experiences comes down to one's perspective on where he/she is from. For someone living on the mainland where tsunamis and lava flow are not common or a concern, they would be terrified of living in Hilo. These individuals are more used to tornados and earthquakes; yet someone from Hilo may be scared to live in areas where these disasters are of concern.

Nohe went on to inform our van on how she had to make the decision to move her family up the mountain after her house had succumbed to Pele’s lava flow path. Fortunately, the lava stopped before it reached her old home. Nohe said that moving or being ready to move at any minute is not an uncommon occurrence on this island. The whole idea of Aloha is seen throughout Hawaii, especially when natural disasters strike. Everyone bands together and true Ohana is seen.