On April 1 , 1946 the Big Island of Hawaii was struck by the so-called " April Fools Day tsunami " , originating from the Aleutian Islands earthquake . Approximately 160 people on the island were killed . While the greatest number of deaths occurred in Hilo , the school building at Laupāhoehoe was inundated , and twenty students and four teachers were drowned . A monument to the dead now stands on Laupāhoehoe Point
Aleutian Islands earthquake
1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake
Laupāhoehoe, Hawaii