Honolulu – A strong earthquake shook Hawaii early Sunday, jolting residents out of bed and causing a landslide that blocked a major highway. Ceilings crashed at a hospital, and aftershocks kept the state on edge.
The state Civil Defense had unconfirmed reports of injuries, but communication problems prevented more definite reports. Gov. Linda Lingle issued a disaster declaration for the state, saying there had been damage to buildings and roads. No fatalities were reported.
The quake hit at 7:07 a.m. local time, 10 miles north-northwest 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 in Golden, part of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Blakeman said there was no risk of a tsunami but that significant wave activity was possible in Hawaii.
The Pacific Tsunami Center reported a preliminary magnitude of 6.5, while the USGS gave a preliminary magnitude of 6.6. The quake was followed by several strong aftershocks, including one of magnitude 5.8, the USGS said. Experts said aftershocks could continue for weeks.
“We were rocking and rolling,” said Anne LaVasseur, who was on the second floor of a house on the east side of the Big Island. “I was pretty scared. We were swaying back and forth, like King Kong’s pushing your house back and forth.”
Pipes exploded at Aston Kona by the Sea, an 86-unit condo resort, creating a dramatic waterfall down the front, said employee Kenneth Piper.
“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.
Big Island Mayor Harry Kim estimated that up to 3,000 people were evacuated from three local hotels. They were being taken to a gymnasium until alternate accommodations could be found, officials said.
The quake caused widespread power outages, and phone communication was difficult. The outages were caused by power plants that turned off automatically when seismic monitors were triggered by the earthquake, Lingle said.
Some power had been restored late Sunday in Maui, parts of Honolulu and other places, but many residences and businesses remained in the dark. All electricity systems needed to be rebooted. Officials did not have a firm estimate of how many people were without power.
A computer simulation estimated that up to 170 bridges on the Big Island could have suffered damage, 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 highway, said Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Center. Officials also said there were reports of people trapped in elevators in Oahu.
In Waikiki, worried visitors began lining up outside stores to purchase food, water and other supplies.
Karie and Bryan Croes waited an hour to buy water, chips and bread.
“It’s quite a honeymoon story,” said Karie Croes.
Kona Community Hospital on the western side of the Big Island was being evacuated after ceilings collapsed and power was cut off, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
Airports were functioning despite the power outages, officials said.
Earthquakes in the 6.0-magnitude range are rare in the region, which more commonly sees temblors in the 3- and 4-magnitude range caused by volcanic activity.
“We think this is a buildup from many volcanic earthquakes that they’ve had on the island,” said Waverly Person, a geophysicist with the National Earthquake Information Center.
