Hawaii A Disaster Zone!

[dmegametal#1]

Hawaii declared disaster zone following quake
15/10/2006 7:18:06 PM

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The entire state of Hawaii was declared a disaster zone Sunday after the island state was hit by a strong earthquake early in the day.


CTV.ca News Staff

People wait in line for food at a roadside chicken stand in Kihei, Hawaii, Sunday, after an earthquake struck the big island of Hawaii knocking out power and forcing restaurants and other merchants to close. (AP / Joseph Kaczmarek)

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle said buildings and roads throughout the state were destroyed. She told radio station KSSK that so far there were no reports of fatalities.

The earthquake triggered a landslide that blocked a major highway on Hawaii Island and knocked out power across the state. Lingle said that boulders fell onto highways and rock walls had collapsed.

The quake hit at 7:07 a.m. local time, about 16 kilometers northwest of Kailua Kona, a community on the west coast of Hawaii's Big Island. The quake registered a magnitude of 6.6, with a strong aftershock measuring 5.8.

There is no risk of the quake producing a tsunami, said Waverly Person, from the National Earthquake Information Centre in Golden, Co. The quake was caused by a buildup of volcanic activity in the area, he told CTV News.

Aftershocks are continuing and will be creating strong waves for quite some time, Person said, "but they appear to be in the magnitude 4 or less range."

There were reports of injuries, but the state Civil Defense said communications problems prevented confirmation. Power outages across the state were widespread, with power and phone lines down. Phones were working in some areas, but service was spotty.

Heavy damage was reported in Kailua-Kona on the main island.

The lights came back on in Hilo on the Big Island by mid-day Sunday, and Maui's power was next to get back online, said Hawaii National Guard spokesman Chuck Anthony.

Officials declined to speculate how many people were in the dark.

Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center, part of the U.S. Geological Survey, told The Associated Press that there is no risk the quake will cause a tsunami, but warned there may be waves of significant size.

Worried tourists began lining up outside convenience stores in Waikiki, hoping to buy food, water and other supplies. With the power out, store managers were letting people into their dark stores one at a time.

Operation room ceilings collapsed at the Kona Community Hospital, forcing an evacuation. About 10 acute care patients were taken to a medical center in Hilo, while others were taken to a nearby conference centre.

Airports were operating, although slowly. Inbound flights are being allowed to land, but outbound flights are on hold until there is enough power to screen passengers.

Big Island Mayor Harry Kim told KITV that resorts in Kona were being asked to keep guests near their hotels. Cruise ships approaching to dock are being asked to sail to the next destination, while those already docked are being asked to keep their guests aboard.

With a report by The Associated Press

[Fadingtoblack]

Oh jeez that is not good at all. I know we have members from there, I hope everything is ok!

Hopefully they can get aid quick too...

[porcelmc]

Hello everyone and thanks for your concern The quake hit around 7AM. The real spooky thing is that my daughter woke me up about 5 minutes before the quake. I am sitting in bed with my wife and the whole house shook for around a minute. I thought the house was gonna collapse. Thank God it didn't. About 5 minutes later we felt another one and I thought for sure the house was gonna come down. We heard the bed shaking out of control and the dishes in the kitchen upstairs were going crazy. The only thing that fell was a statue of a gladiator that fell off of my TV. No known damage to my house.

No appearant casualties on Oahu. We were without power for about 13 hours. I have been listening to the radio all day and right now prob 40 to 50 % of Oahu has power.

I have felt earthquakes before when I lived in Japan, but this one hoinestly scared me. It felt massive. Its good to know Oahu escaped most of the damage. The "BIG ISLAND" of Hawaii was the quakes epicenter. They have experience the brunt of the wrath.

But yeah, I am back, missed all the sports fames today. Kept up to date off of the internet on my cell phone. At some point today, the satty were overloaded and it was hard to make calls.

Cheers!

[MetDream]

Glad to know you are ok.

I just heard aobut the quake on the news tonight and came here and PPM to see if you've posted.

[Fadingtoblack]

Yep, good to hear you are ok

Do we have any other members from Hawaii still to check in?

[King_Nothing]

Glad you are alright man, honestly, you came to mind right when I heard the news!

[metmum]

Glad to see you are ok. I know you from a few sites so though of you straight away when I saw this.

[Metallifold]

Glad to see you are ok. I know you from a few sites so though of you straight away when I saw this.

Same thing here...Glad to see you're ok brother!

[Duane]

Yes I also hoped for the best.....glad everyone at your place is ok.

[hollow]

Glad you are alright man, honestly, you came to mind right when I heard the news!

yeah, me too, I'm really glad to hear you