Hawaii hit by magnitude 6.6 earthquake

A strong earthquake shook Hawaii yesterday, jolting residents out of bed and causing a landslide that blocked a major road.

Hundreds of hotel guests and hospital patients were evacuated, and aftershocks kept the US state on edge.

Governor Linda Lingle issued a disaster declaration for the entire state, saying there had been damage to buildings and roads.

There were no reports of fatalities, but the state Civil Defence had several reports of minor injuries.

The quake hit at 7.07am local time (3.07pm Irish time) yesterday, 10 miles north-west of Kailua Kona, a town on the west coast of Hawaii Island, also known as the Big Island, said Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center, part of the US Geological Survey.

Blakeman said there was no risk of a Pacific-wide tsunami, but there was a possibility of significant wave activity in Hawaii.

The Pacific Tsunami Centre reported a preliminary magnitude of 6.5, while the US Geological Survey gave a preliminary magnitude of 6.6. The earthquake was followed by several strong aftershocks, including one measuring a magnitude of 5.8, the Geological Survey said. Experts said aftershocks could continue for weeks.

“We were rocking and rolling,” said Anne LaVasseur, who was on the upper floor of a two-storey, wood-framed house on the east side of the Big Island when the quake struck. "I was pretty scared. We were swaying back and forth.”

Mayor Harry Kim estimated that as many as 3,000 people were being evacuated from three hotels on the Big Island. Brad Kurokawa, Hawaii County deputy planning director, confirmed the hotels were damaged, but could not say how many people had left.

They were being taken to a gymnasium until alternate accommodation could be found, he said.

Water pipes exploded at Aston Kona By The Sea, an 86-unit condominium resort, creating a dramatic waterfall down the front of the hotel from the third floor, said Kenneth Piper, who runs the front desk.

“We are a concrete building, but we really shook. You could almost see the cars bouncing up and down in the parking garage,” he said.

The quake caused widespread power cuts, and phone communication was possible, but difficult. By noon yesterday, power was restored to Hilo on the Big Island and was starting to be restored to Maui, said Chuck Anthony, a spokesman for the Hawaii National Guard.

Some Honolulu neighbourhoods also had power late yesterday afternoon, a spokesman for Hawaiian Electric Company said. Officials did not have a firm estimate of how many people were without power.

Lingle told radio station KSSK that she toured the Kona area by helicopter to view the damage, including earth falling into Kealakekua Bay.

“You could see the water was turning brown,” said Lingle.

A computer simulation of the quake estimated that as many as 170 bridges on the Big Island could have suffered damage in the quake, said Bob Fenton, Federal Emergency Management Agency director of response for the region.

More than 50 federal officials were en route to the Big Island to assess damage and begin recovery work, he said.

On Hawaii Island, there was some damage in Kailua-Kona and a landslide along a major road, said Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Centre. Officials also said there were reports of people trapped in elevators in Oahu.

In Waikiki, one of the state’s primary tourism areas, worried visitors began lining up outside convenience stores to purchase food, water and other supplies. Managers were letting tourists into the darkened stores one at a time.