Home is where the heart is
Hawaii resident moves to Ronan after tsunami
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RONAN — Diane Marie misses Hawaii. She misses the warm weather and the vibrant rainbows. And even though it was the swirling waters of a tsunami that destroyed her boat home, she misses the water.
Instead of sparkling waters outside her windows, she now sees the Mission Mountains rising dark against the light blue sky.
“When I first came here there was still white stuff up there,” Diane Marie said. “I hear winters around there get pretty bad.”
On March 11, 2011, the biggest earthquake to hit Japan in 150 years created tsunamis up to 23 feet high that killed hundreds and leveled everything in its way. The western coast of the United States and the islands of Hawaii were under tsunami watches after the devastation.
Though less powerful waves were recorded in Hawaii, the largest recorded stood 7 feet high, and still affected many lives.
Longtime resident Diane Marie’s life hasn’t been the same since she was caught in those waves. She described the experience like being in an underwater tornado.
“I was on my boat and it started smoking and water was coming in the back,” Diane Marie recalled. “I told my dog to jump and we jumped.”
She said they were in the water for about 10 minutes, holding onto her boat, until someone in another boat came along and pulled them aboard.
Diane Marie said she was more worried about her beloved “Makana,” which means “gift” in Hawaiian, a dog she rescued and adopted from a former abusive owner. She said she had to give Makana CPR after being rescued because she wasn’t breathing.
“It was unreal,” Diane Marie said, her voice shaking. “(But) I was not afraid. I was more worried about my dog.”
After the tsunami, they lived in Diane Marie’s car. Now the two are staying with a friend that lives in Ronan.
Diane Marie said her insurance company refused to fix damages to her 25 feet boat home because it was considered “an act of God.”
“My friend said it was not fair that I had to live in my car,” she said.
A month later she sold her car and moved to Montana.
Diane Marie, who was disabled before the tsunami, dislocated her ankle and heel after jumping into the water that day.
She carefully walks barefoot across the yard of her friend’s home, the brightly colored fabric of her dress flowing behind her, Makana at her side.
“I’ve never been to Montana, it’s a different temperature, and it’s chilly.”
She said she bought a sewing machine and has been making quilts ever since.
Diane Marie has talked with local people about her experiences but said most had no idea that Hawaii was hit by the waves from the Japan tsunami.
Diane Marie’s daughter, Traci Stone, who lives in Houston, received the news after a weather report was sent to her phone. She tried to call her mother but all the circuits were busy. Stone didn’t panic because she thought the safest place for her mother would be on her boat, but she was worried.
When Stone finally heard back from her mother it was like a big weight being lifted off of her chest.
“I know it’s my mom’s thing to live on a boat, I’m always worried,” Stone said. “I’m glad she is in Montana, at least she is on land.”
Diane Marie has now lived in Montana for three months and two weeks, to be exact. She is keeping count because despite the fact Diane Marie finds Montana beautiful and the people have what she calls the “aloha spirit,” she is homesick.
But for now Diane Marie calls Montana home. She’s adjusting to her new living situation and preparing for the coming winter.
“I miss Hawaii,” Diane Marie said. “Most of all I miss the rainbows.”
