Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Did You Feel the October 15th Hawaii Earthquake?

I was reading a book in my ocean view room at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel in Waikiki when the earthquake rattled me to attention at 7:07 a.m. on Sunday, October 15, 2006. What I felt were two separate and rather long lasting gentle bumping motions accompanied by what sounded like a roll of thunder. There was not much damage on the island of Oahu, but I was very sorry to learn the historic Manoa Valley Inn, where I had stayed earlier in the week, suffered some serious damage, including a collapsed chimney. Waikiki is about 150 miles from the center of the quake, which was on the west coast of the Big island. My sister, who lives in Kailua-Kona, felt a much more powerful shake then I did, followed by dozens of scary aftershocks. The earthquake was measured at 6.7 on the Richter scale, and while it caused no deaths, it did cause some damage on the Big Island. Most of the Big Island hotels were not damaged, but I have heard that are few are temporarily closed, so if you are planning a trip to the Big Island soon, contact your hotel to confirm its status. If you felt the earthquake yourself, tell us what it was like:
  • Our Forum Discussion: Did You Feel the Earthquake?
  • USGS Web Form: Send Earthquake Report to USGS

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