Hawaii Inconvenienced But Emerges Virtually Unscathed From October 15 Earthquake

Hawaii Inconvenienced But Emerges Virtually Unscathed From October 15 Earthquake

October 17, 2006

    HONOLULU, Oct. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- One day after
being rocked by an earthquake Hawaii is letting the world
know that it is open and ready for business.

    "We continue to welcome visitors to our
state," said Marsha Wienert, tourism liaison for the
Governor's office.  "The quake caused quite a bit of
apprehension yesterday but this morning Hawaii is largely
back to business as usual.  There is no widespread damage
and no loss of life or serious injury.  We have made a
speedy return to normalcy."

    The 7:07 a.m. Sunday morning quake measured
6.7-magnitude.  It was centered under the ocean off the
northwest coast of Hawaii's Big Island and was felt on all
the major islands.  A 5.8 magnitude quake followed seven
minutes later and numerous smaller aftershocks were
registered over the next few hours. 

    The first quake immediately triggered power failures
that lasted most of the day on the Big Island, Maui, and
Oahu.

    The loss of electrical power caused disruptions at
airports that resulted in flight delays and cancellations
of some transpacific flights into and out of the Islands. 
Electrical power was restored to most airports by early
afternoon.  Honolulu International Airport, which saw the
most delays in service, was online again by 5:45 p.m.  All
affected communities throughout the islands had electrical
service restored by midnight Sunday.

    "All visitor accommodations are open for business
statewide and airlines are telling us that transpacific
flights and flights around the islands are generally back
to normal," said John Monahan, president and CEO of
the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.  "There may
be some minor delays as airlines adjust for yesterday's
interruptions and we advise passengers to reconfirm their
departure times prior to going to the airport," he
said.

    Damage assessments were still being made Monday
morning, but the effects of the quake continue to appear
minimal.  All major highways statewide are open.  Hotels
and other accommodations that were closest to the quake on
the Big Island remain open for business, although some have
reported light damage.

    For more information, visit the Hawaii Visitors and
Convention Bureau's website at http://GoHawaii.com or call
1-800-GOHAWAII.

    For more information, please contact:

     Nathan Kam
     Account Supervisor 
     McNeil Wilson Communications
     Tel:   [phone]
     cell:  [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE  Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau