The 6.6 earthquake in Hawaii on October 15, a little after seven in the morning, was on the Kona side of the Big Island of Hawaii, we live on the Hilo side. I got up for my morning coffee, and being a native of Southern California, when the house started shaking, I knew exactly what it was. Our house seemed to breathe with movement as the main beams shifted and stressed. We could hear creaking sounds throughout the house as the pendant lamps swayed. The Big Island has an active volcano, so we experience small earthquake tremors quite often, but a 6.6 is quite a strong shake.
Our little animals, Gracie, Charlotte (the cats) and Maxwell (the dog) were a little scared. As the ground shook, I saw Charlotte by the window looking frantically into the house as if to say:
“HEY! Do you see what’s going on here? LET ME IN! I PROMISE I won’t eat Iki !!” (the bird).
I could only stand there under the protective door not knowing how bad the earthquake could get. After the second aftershock we went out to connect with Gracie, Maxwell, and especially Charlotte. They were all in great need and wanted special caresses and attention. Hours later they seemed to have forgotten the entire ordeal.
The news reports interviewed many people who were concerned that North Korea had hit us. Tourists ran from the beaches to higher ground, worried about a tsunami, which was probably a very good idea. A tsunami was not to be expected, it was announced later.
The television stations were down except for a couple. News began to arrive that spoke only of minor degrees of damage to houses and roads with downed trees, over time that assessment would rise.
About 45,000 people lost power on the Big Island, 58,000 on Maui, and 291,000 on Oahu. Lines formed on the block of ABC stores on Oahu, people allowed in four at a time to buy water, snacks and batteries. They also lined up at Subways to get food before they ran out. Other restaurants tried to sell their products quickly due to the loss of refrigeration.
The newscasters requested that people not drive their cars or use their phones. Outbound flights were canceled, but people were still flocking to the airport, perhaps wishing for a quick withdrawal.
The closest town to us is Pahoa, less than two miles away. We had no idea how the main street shops, built around the 1920s, had fared. However, I passed it yesterday and everything seemed as picturesque as ever. I did not speak to the store owners to see if there was damage that I had not noticed. The post office was as crowded as usual, so I guess life goes on in Pahoa after the Hawaii earthquake.
Local news now shows images of roads with large cracks and even a historic stone church now collapsed in a heap. A hospital was forced to transfer patients to another facility due to damage from the earthquake. One question that remains unanswered is what effect this will have on our active volcano, if any.
Last night, October 16, we had a ‘huge’ rain and thunder storm. News alerts issued flash flood alerts. You could imagine that Iki (the bird), Maxwell (the dog), Gracie, and especially Charlotte (the cats) had a very restless night and are probably wondering if the Hawaii earthquake was causing the sky to fall. Don’t worry though I gave them a delicious breakfast and they all seem fine including Iki (the bird).