<Begin Segment 13>

SG: So it sounds like after the Vanport floods, you, that's what you're really interested in carpentry, and that's what you pursued?

JO: The Vanport flood, yeah. Yeah, I had nothing after that. In fact, I had debt. In fact, they helped me little bit too when I formed. And what I owed, I'd returned them all, and I kept on working, yeah. So I had my hard time; I'm still having a hard time. [Laughs]

SG: How difficult was it after the Vanport floods for you?

JO: Well like I said, I had a bucket with a big hole in the bottom. I mean, I had nothing. I really had nothing. In fact, I had a car, but that's the only thing I came out, I came out that morning, I was going to go borrow my brother's truck to move out, but it happened when, the day I went out to get the truck, it happened. The water came into Vanport. So I was out there with the car which I owe my mother in law's, owe the money for the car yet. But anyway, that's the only thing that I got out, and I found out, for a while, I couldn't find my wife and Curtis, my oldest son, and I found out they already went out with the next door neighbor, Mr. Shimomura. They were in Foster Hotel already, a restaurant there. But for two hours, I couldn't find them. I thought I lost the whole family, but they got out. They were at the Foster Hotel, what they call Foster Cafe at that time.

SG: It must have been scary.

JO: So I had nothing after that. I lost everything. I went back there looking because we were in the lower section of the two-story building that went down, crushed down, so there was nothing there. Toys were there but all crushed and rusted out because it was under water for a whole month. Clothing was no good, nothing was good. The only thing, something in metal I got out. Whatever few silver dollar I had, I found that, but that's about all I got out of it.

SG: Were there other Japanese that lived in --

JO: Oh, yeah. There was quite a few. One of, a photographer, Mr. Mizuno, lost his life, and I think Mrs. Oshi Nippo, Oyama desu, Mrs. Oyama lost her, she lost her life there, yeah.

SG: So some friends died in the flood?

JO: Yeah. And I know him, he's doctor here, son is here yet.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2003 Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Densho. All Rights Reserved.