Hawaii hit by strong quake, power knocked out

Power lines are knocked down in Mililani, Hawaii. Picture / Reuters

HONOLULU - A powerful earthquake and repeated aftershocks shook Hawaii today, rattling nerves, knocking out power in Honolulu and prompting Govenor Linda Lingle to issue a disaster declaration for the entire state.

The 6.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Hawaii this morning at 7.07am local time (6.07am NZT), with strong shaking felt as far as 240km away on the island of Oahu, according to the US Geological Service.

The earthquake was not strong enough to trigger a tsunami warning, according to Victor Sardina, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or fatalities as the quake struck off a sparsely populated area, but there were scattered reports of damage.

Lingle said on radio she had flown over the island of Hawaii to assess damage and had yet to receive any reports of serious injuries.

Power outages were widespread and telephone service sporadic, including in Honolulu and across Oahu, where most of the state's 1.28 million residents live.

Honolulu supermarkets grew crowded as shoppers stocked up on food, water and batteries.

Honolulu resident Roger Reilly trekked to a Home Depot for batteries after the earthquake jolted him out of bed. "It made my heart race like crazy," he told Reuters.

Carol Chesney, also of Honolulu, said the earthquake shook the city enough to awaken everyone. "The whole house really rattled," she said.

Lingle's declaration allows her to mobilise the state's National Guard units, said Ray Lovell, a spokesman for Hawaii State Civil Defence.

"It's going to take a while to get the power back on (on Oahu) because the grid is so massive compared to any of the other islands," Lovell said.

The US Geological Survey considers an earthquake of 6.6 magnitude to be strong. The agency initially recorded the earthquake as a 6.3 magnitude temblor.

Flights from Honolulu International Airport were cancelled although incoming planes were being allowed to land.

There were landslides in Hamakua and Kealakekua, and major damage at Kona Hospital, the Honokaa Long-term Care Facility and the Royal Kona Resort on Hawaii.

"It was the biggest earthquake we've been through. It was pretty serious and we've lived in Tokyo for 11 years," said Arthur Roberts, who lives 24km north of Hilo on Hawaii.

Stuart Koyanagi, a geophysicist at the tsunami warning centre, said the 6.6 magnitude earthquake was followed seven minutes later by a 5.8 magnitude temblor and by several smaller quakes. Seismologists warned of aftershocks tomorrow.

Michael Poland, a geophysicist with the US Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said the earthquake was likely the largest to hit Hawaii since 1989, and possibly the largest since an even bigger one measuring 7.2 hit in 1975.

- REUTERS