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Hawaii Hikes Quake Damage Estimate

Business as Usual, Tourism Officials Insist

By Dan Schlossberg
ConsumerAffairs.com

October 25, 2006

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Two weeks after the Sunday morning earthquake in Hawaii, officials are still revising the original damage estimate. Although early reports indicated a $10 million loss, current figures suggest a number more than 10 times greater.

On the island of Hawaii, where the Oct. 15 quake had its epicenter, hotels, houses, roads, and bridges were damaged along with two enormous reservoirs where water was found leaking through holes created by the seismic event.

The reservoirs, both containing 50 million gallons of water, were drained to prevent potential ruptures. Had that problem gone undetected, catastrophic floods could have followed.

The 50th state's worst earthquake in 23 years registered a 6.7 on the Richter scale but was followed by a 6.0 aftershock just minutes later. More than 100 other aftershocks were also felt.

How tourism is affected remains subject to conjecture.

Some officials insist conditions have already returned to normal, while others believe up to 10 per cent of potential visitors may now look elsewhere when planning vacations.

Because Honolulu International Airport suffered a day-long blackout on the day of the quake, Gov. Linda Lingle has given a newly-created task force 60 days to make recommendations regarding preparedness and response for future disasters.

One idea is to build generators that would provide power if regular electric sources failed.

The governor also demanded better communications after learning that Civil Defense officials took too long -- more than two hours -- to report what was happening after the initial jolt was felt at 7:07 a.m.

By then, radio stations were piecing together news reports from unofficial sources, including listener call-ins.

In the meantime, Hawaii Civil Defense chief Ed Teixeira planned to meet with officials from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) in the hope of getting government money for rebuilding efforts. At least 29 homes damaged by the earthquake are considered uninhabitable and have been condemned.

Other buildings, including an old church, also suffered damage ranging from mild to substantial.

Although the U.S. Geological Survey has a station in Hawaii, it is primarily a Volcano Observatory. The home of Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii is the most active volcanic region in the world. Eruptions occur often, usually preceded by small regional earthquakes.

Open for Business

According to the president and CEO of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, potential visitors shouldn't unpack their bags.

"All visitor accommodations are open for business statewide and airlines are telling us that trans-Pacific flights and flights around the islands are generally back to normal," said the tourism executive, John Monahan. He added that local travel industry employees calmed the nerves of visitors and helped return tourism to typical October conditions.

Hotels closest to the quake, which struck near Kailua Kona on the western coast of the Big Island, managed to stay open, though some reported slight damage. Not so fortunate were an old church, which suffered substantial damage, and a hospital, which had to be evacuated.

The capital of Honolulu, 150 miles north on the island of Oahu, had widespread reports of structure damage in addition to its day-long blackout.

The timing of the quake -- on a quiet Sunday morning when most visitors and residents were asleep and businesses were closed -- proved to be a blessing.

"This (event) was traumatic for many residents," said Gov. Lingle, "but the situation could have been much worse."

For the latest Hawaii updates, check:

• Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau [800-GOHAWAII, GoHawaii.com]
• Kauai Visitors Bureau [800-262-1400, KauaiDiscovery.com]
• Oahu Visitors Bureau [877-525-OAHU, Visit-Oahu.com]
• Maui Visitors Bureau [800-525-MAUI, VisitMaui.com]
• Big Island Visitors Bureau [800-648-2441, BigIsland.com]

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