Magnitude 5.7 quake shakes Hawaii island; no tsunami expected
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake and multiple smaller aftershocks struck the Kau coast of Hawaii island this morning, but did not generate a tsunami, authorities said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 10:06 a.m. and was centered 2.8 miles northwest of Pahala at a depth of about 21.5 miles. The quake was about 43 miles southeast of Kailua-Kona and 44 miles southwest of Hilo, USGS said. The earthquake was followed by many aftershocks, the largest of which was magnitude 3.5, according to USGS.
The USGS and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially said the quake was magnitude 6.3 and centered just off the Kau coast, southeast of Naalehu, but the USGS subsequently updated the data.
While no tsunami was expected, many areas “may have experienced strong shaking,” PTWC said.
The USGS “Did you feel it?” online survey recorded over 100 immediate responses from throughout Hawaii island.
Some minor shaking was reported from various locations across Oahu.
Don't miss out on what's happening!
Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!
Hawaii County officials said no major damage has been reported.
“At present, the known damages primarily consist of minor landslides, resulting in debris on various roadways,” said a county statement at 11 a.m. “Prompt action has been taken by the Hawaii County Department of Public Works and State Highways teams to clear most of the debris, ensuring the safety and accessibility of affected areas. These teams remain vigilant and proactive, addressing any potential obstructions on roadways as needed.
“As of now, there have been no reports of significant damages beyond the aforementioned minor incidents.”
Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth told the Associated Press that he was in Honolulu at a cardiologist appointment. “All of a sudden I felt like I was getting dizzy,” he said, thinking at first that it was the procedure and then realizing it was an earthquake. He immediately got on the phone with his emergency management officials.
“We’ll probably start hearing about damage in the next hour to an hour,” Roth said, pointing out that it was “a good-sized earthquake.”
Roth said he was headed to the Honolulu airport to try to get an earlier flight back to the Big Island.
Julia Neal, the owner of Pahala Plantation Cottages, said a mirror and brass lamp fell down during some forceful shaking. “We have a lot of the old wooden plantations homes and so they were rattling pretty loudly.”
Derek Nelson, the manager of the Kona Canoe Club restaurant in the Kona Inn Shopping Village in the oceanside community of Kona, on the island’s western side, said everyone felt it “big time,” but that there was no damage.
“I mean, it shook us bad to where it wobbled some knees a little bit. It shook all the windows in the village,” he said.