Disaster Declared in Hawaii After 6.6-Magnitude Earthquake
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HONOLULU —A strong earthquake shook Hawaii early yesterday, 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. Governor Lingle issued a disaster declaration for the entire state, saying there had been damage to buildings and roads. There were no reports of fatalities.
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, Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center, part of the U.S. Geological Survey, said.
Mr. 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 Center reported a preliminary magnitude of 6.5, while the U.S. 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.
“We were rocking and rolling,” Anne LaVasseur said. Ms. LaVasseur was on the second floor of a two-story, wood-framed house on the east side of the Big Island when the temblor struck.
