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06524 October 18, 2006
No Presbyterians reported injured in Hawaii quake
Temblor was state's strongest in 23 years
by Evan Silverstein
LOUISVILLE * Presbyterians in Hawaii and their property apparently escaped Sunday's strong earthquake unscathed despite a shaker that rattled nerves and cut power to much of the 50th state.
None of the four churches and one new church development affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) there reported any property damage or injuries to members, according to the Rev. Stephen W. Smith, stated clerk and associate general presbyter of Pacific Presbytery, which includes Hawaii.
"All of our churches are on the island of Oahu, which was far enough away that by the time the earthquake reached them it had diminished enough that there was no damage," Smith told the Presbyterian News Service on Tuesday (Oct. 17).
Smith said church officials reported that their members were also believed to have escaped personal property damage. He estimated that about 3,000 Presbyterians live on Oahu, the state's most populous island.
"We've talked with each of the churches and they report that their structures are fine and that their members have not suffered any loses," Smith said.
Susan Ryan, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance coordinator, said National Response Team members George and Marion MacNeil, who were vacationing in Hawaii at the time, "will be visiting those churches to see if there's any response that's needed."
Meanwhile, life continued returning to normal in Hawaii following the state's biggest earthquake since 1983.
Hawaiian Electric Inc. reported it had restored power to all of Oahu by Monday morning, according to a report on the Web site of The Honolulu Advertiser. All of Maui and 99 percent of the Hawaii * the "Big Island" * epicenter of Sunday's 6.7 magnitude temblor, had power by late Sunday, the Advertiser said.
"There were power outages and they (the Presbyterian churches) like many others were without power for a few hours," Smith said. "But all of that has been restored and they're in good shape."
The quake and its aftershocks caused structural damage to some buildings, but there were no reports of fatalities.
The quake struck at 7:07 a.m. Sunday (1:07 p.m. ET) from 24 miles below the west coast of the Big Island, 157 miles southeast of Honolulu, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Seven minutes later, an aftershock measuring 5.8 struck 145 miles southeast of Honolulu from a depth of nearly 12 miles. During the next seven hours, 53 aftershocks reverberated through the state, though none exceed 4.4 magnitude, the USGS said.
Across the state, residents reported little panic, and for some the loss of power meant it was time to sit outside, set up barbecues and talk with friends and neighbors, according to an Associated Press report.
People heading to open stores for emergency supplies were orderly and calm, the AP reported. Travelers suffered more inconvenience. Waiting rooms at airports filled quickly Sunday. Service was limited at Honolulu and Maui international airports.
Drivers also were urged to stay off roads and highways if possible, to keep them clear for emergency vehicles. Rockslides blocked passage along a number of major routes.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) carried out a preliminary disaster assessment with state officials and sent an emergency response team to Honolulu, according to medial reports.
FEMA's Aaron Walker said water quality and sewage on the Big Island were matters of concern, as was the structural integrity of bridges in the state. Earthquakes occur commonly in the Hawaiian islands, Harley Benz, a seismologist for the USGS in Golden, CO, told CNN.
But they rarely occur with such force. The last such quake struck in Hawaii on Nov. 16, 1983, when a 6.7-magnitude temblor injured six people and inflicted major damage on 39 houses, the USGS said.
Hawaii's largest recorded quake struck the Ka'u District on the island of Hawaii on April 2, 1868, with a magnitude of 7.9. It resulted in 77 deaths * 31 by a landslide and 46 from a tsunami, the USGS said.
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