- 2006 Hawaii earthquake
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2006 Hawaii earthquake 
Date 15 October 2006 Magnitude 6.7 Mw Depth 29 kilometres (18 mi) Epicenter 19°49′12″N 156°01′37″W / 19.820°N 156.027°W Countries or regions Hawaii, United States Casualties No reported deaths [1] 
Cliff falling in Waipio Valley during the earthquake
The main earthquake and its aftershocks
Hulihee Palace shown here with the earthquake damages, as of January 2007.The 2006 Hawaii earthquake was an offshore earthquake occurring 21 kilometres (13 mi) southwest from Puakō and 21 kilometres (13 mi) north of Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi, just offshore of the Kona Airport, on Sunday October 15, 2006 at 7:07:49 AM local time (17:07:49 (UTC)). It measured 6.7 on the moment magnitude scale, and was located at 19°49′12″N 156°01′37″W / 19.820°N 156.027°W, at a depth of 29 km (18 mi).[2] It produced several aftershocks, including one that measured a magnitude of 6.0 seven minutes after the main shock.[3] The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center measured a four-inch (102 mm) tsunami on the coast of the Big Island.[4]
Modified Mercalli Intensity was measured at Force VII-VIII on the western side of the island of Hawaii, and Force VI on eastern Maui. Force V shaking intensity was felt all the way to Oahu, where patches of moderate damage were reported.[5]
The earthquake caused property damage, injuries, landslides, power outages, and airport delays and closures.[4] Governor Linda Lingle issued a disaster declaration for the entire state.[6][7]
Contents
Damage
The most severe damage caused by the earthquake was focused on the north and western sides of the island of Hawaii. Damage was also quite heavy on the eastern side of Maui, and minor damage spread all the way out to western Oahu, 170 miles (270 km) away from the earthquake's epicenter. On the Big Island, many houses had large cracks and broken windows, and at least 61 buildings were destroyed and red-tagged by officials. Almost all houses in west Hawaii reported extensive internal damage but most avoided significant structural damage, the reason being that most of the buildings in the area around the epicenter of the earthquake have been built in the last few decades and are well constructed. Even so, over $200 million in damage occurred.[8]
The largest and most luxurious hotels on the Island of Hawaii also happened to be clustered within ten miles (16 km) of the earthquake's epicenter along the Kohala coast. The 1965 Mauna Kea Beach Hotel had its entire south end collapse, and the hotel's top floor was considered "destroyed." The hotel closed December 1 after a month-long inspection revealed that the building was unsafe and in danger of collapse. After a $150 million renovation, the hotel reopened in December, 2008.[9] [10] The Hapuna Prince Hotel was temporarily evacuated after the earthquake due to structural damage, broken glass and flooding caused by broken waterpipes.
Many roads and bridges collapsed or had deep cracks, and clean-up crews had to work for days to remove debris from the countless landslides. Many landmarks on the island were greatly affected. The Kalahikiola Congregational Church in Kohala was destroyed due to the collapse of the church's stone walls; the Hawi smoke stack, a relic of the old sugarcane trade, completely collapsed as well. The Hulihee Palace in Kailua Kona suffered extensive structural damage.[11] Another popular tourist area, Kealakekua Bay, home of the white monument to Captain James Cook, was swept over by massive landslides that caused the entire bay and its surrounding areas to momentarily disappear in a thick cloud of brown dust.[11]
After the earthquake, the owners of the Kohala Ditch – the Surety Kohala Corporation – finished an evaluation of the damage to, and future safety of, the “Ditch”. They determined that they could not repair the ditch to allow the flumin' the ditch tours to continue safely; the tours have been discontinued. Over 150,000 people in the 10 years prior had enjoyed this 22-mile (35 km) kayaking tour down old irrigation ditches.
Blackouts
Power plants on Maui and the Big Island automatically shut off power to prevent damage, and generators tripped on Oahu, causing overloads in the electrical grid.[12] The Oahu power outages lasted 14 hours in some locations; only half of Hawaiian Electric Company's (HECO) Oahu customers had power restored before 9 pm, while outages generally lasted to about 5 pm on Maui and Hawaii. Power was restored to all HECO circuits by 1:55 am; however, there were isolated blackouts due to local problems, such as blown fuses. Power in Laie and Kahuku was not restored until 3 am. In Honolulu and Kahe, HECO generators shut down, and other generators tried to compensate, resulting in uneven loads on Oahu's electrical network and causing the system to shut down to prevent damage.[13]
Mauna Kea Observatory
During the earthquake and aftershocks, a number of the telescopes at the Mauna Kea Observatory sustained minor damage, primarily Kecks 1 and 2, and the CFHT.[8] The CFHT was operational and back online as of 19 October,[14] however the Kecks were not restored to full operation until 28 February 2007.[15]
Political reaction
Democratic and Republican representatives were angered by the length of the power failure, calling for an investigation into proposed legislation to speed up blackout recovery. Governor Linda Lingle and some Hawaii State Senators said that Carlito Caliboso, chairman of the Public Utilities Commission, had been asked to research the outage and decide whether to begin a formal investigation.[16]
Images
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Keokea Beach Park pavilion
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Hulihee Palace South wall, January 2007
See also
References
- ^ "Hawaiian: 'We were rocking and rolling'". U.S. (CNN). 2006-10-15. Archived from the original on February 20, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070220034802/http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/15/hawaii.quake/index.html. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ "Magnitude 6.7 - Hawaii region, Hawaii". USGS. 2006-10-15. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2006/ustwbh. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
- ^ "Magnitude 5,8 - Hawaii region, Hawaii". USGS. 2006-10-15. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Quakes/ustwbi.php. Retrieved 2006-10-15.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Strong Quake Rocks Hawaii". Local News (Maui Weekly). 2006-10-19. http://www.mauiweekly.com/localnews/story2796.aspx. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ "USGS Community Internet Intensity Maps". USGS,. 2007-10-15. http://pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/shake/STORE/Xtwbh_06/ciim_display.html. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ "Disaster declared as quake hits Hawaii". Associated Press. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061015/ap_on_re_us/hawaii_earthquake. Retrieved 2006-10-15. "Link dead as of 15 January 2007"[dead link]
- ^ "Hawaiian historic site damaged, but blessed". Hawaii travel (Associated Press). 2006-10-24. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15535881/from/id/15400920/. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ a b "Hawaii County Cuts Red Tape for Big Island Repairs". Associated Press. 2006-10-27. http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2006/10/27/73645.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ Lehrer, John (September, 2009). "Welcome Home". Westways.
- ^ "Mauna Kea Beach Hotel 'softly' reopens". Hawaii Tribune-Herald, December 25, 2008. http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/articles/2008/12/25/local_news/local05.txt.
- ^ a b Hawaiian Historic Site Damaged..., Associated Press, accessed November 3, 2006
- ^ Reyes, B.J. (2006-10-16). "Outages hit Oahu hardest". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. http://starbulletin.com/2006/10/16/news/story02.html. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ Reyes, B.J. (2006-10-17). "Outage stirs anger". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. http://starbulletin.com/2006/10/17/news/story01.html. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ "15 October 2006 Earthquake Aftermath at CFHT". University of Hawai'i. 2007-01-11. http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/EARTHQUAKE/. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ "Earthquake Update from W. M. Keck Observatory". W. M. Keck Observatory. 2007-02-28. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070927213834/http://www.keckobservatory.org/article.php?id=95. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ^ Outage stirs anger, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, accessed October 19, 2006
External links
- Live coverage at TheHawaiiChannel.com
- Report on the declaration of a state of emergency
- USGS Preliminary Earthquake Report
- Historic Palace Damaged, but Blessed
- Hawaii County Cuts Red Tape for Big Island Repairs
- Parts of Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park Closed
- Ham Radio Operators respond to Kiholo quake
← Earthquakes in 2006 → - Kamchatka (6.6-7.6, April)
- Kuril Islands (8.3, Nov 15)
- Banda Sea (7.6, Jan 26)
- Borujerd† (7.1, Mar 31)
- Gujarat (5.5, Apr 6)
- Gulf of Mexico (5.8, Sep 10)
- Hawaii (6.7, Oct 15)
- Hengchun (7.1, Dec 26)
- 1st Java†‡ (6.2, May 27)
- 2nd Java† (7.7, Jul 17)
- Mendoza (5.7, Aug 5)
- Southern Greece (6.8, Jan 8)
- Tajikistan (4.5, Jul 29)
- Tonga (7.9, May 4)
- Yanjin (5.2, 22 Jul)
† indicates earthquake resulting in at least 30 deaths
‡ indicates the deadliest earthquake of the yearCategories:- 2006 earthquakes
- 2006 natural disasters in the United States
- Earthquakes in Hawaii
- 2006 in Hawaii
-
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