Damage to the Mission
First to go were the sisters' quarters, a community hall, and Father Otton's two-storey house, which were nearest the beach. Then followed a workshop-shed and the church.
The clinic building, which is off to one side, survived the wave with some damage. It seems to have received a less energetic attack, perhaps because it is partly protected by trees. Marks on the walls of the building show that the water reached two metres above ground level.
A two-storey wood-frame classroom building near the church was lifted bodily and floated southwestward where it collided with a grove of coconut palms. The lower level of the building collapsed and the top settled down to ground level.