MamaBear1

12-14-2006, 4:54 AM

interesting to note most folks complaining - about natural disasters - however since that time - has anyone tried to be better prepared ?

Or like many - LOL - raid the stores or stand thirty strong at a Leonard's malasadas wagon to - pick up malasadas ? LOL

It is Mother Nature's way to say to all - this is a head's up folks - take heed -

think about it -

BICie out

debbra64

10-20-2006, 10:52 AM

Dan over emphasis everything. Including the flash food warnings for the bg isalnd. He needs to be careful how he speaks, he can scare many people, including myself. Just speak about what is happening, don't add things like heavy, heavy rains or another earth quake hit, when it was an afer shock. A newscater needs to be very careful and only speak in a positive note, even if it is disasterous. Mahalo

K.Martinez

10-20-2006, 4:30 AM

We were at the KMX Keiki Motocross races at Parker Ranch in Waimea on the Big Island when it hit. Under our tent setting up our chairs and the kids getting ready for the promoter to annouce lining up for the practice lap. The tractors were just about done prepping the track and so my first thought was that but it kept getting stronger and harder and more violent. It was hair-raising when watching everything around you moving & shaking including yourself. People started running for ? I don't know what. The horses all in a herd were stampeding through the pasture while vehicles were being bounced side to side. My son behind me debating whether he should be hanging on his bike to keep it from falling but unable to let go. My daughter holding on to the ground with shock and fear because there was nothing else close enough to grab and she couldn't get up. For what felt like 30 seconds may have been less and it finally stops. Getting phone calls from 'ohana all over the place minutes after the quake. Our Nextel phones didn't work for just a few minutes and then started working again. We packed up, drove to our home in Kalopa (1/2 hour drive up the Hamakua coast) and on the way we see rocks and tree branches on the side of the highway, some of it on the road. All the horrifying thoughts of what you're gonna see when you get home running through my head. Now living most my life here we should be familiar with the tremors we get on the island. We'd get some quakes that would shake a vase or other taller items but never one like this. I didn't even know I owned as much glass. My house looked like a war zone. We had electricity and turned the tv on (one that didn't fall or break) to watch the live news coverage that KITV had while we started cleaning up. There was quite a bit of damage done to my house but I've seen and heard of worse destruction than mine and it's all really nothing that can't be easily fixed...plus we can still live in it. We still feel the aftershocks and it still frightens me. What an experience to go through. I really hope it's a once in a lifetime event for me.

K. Martinez

AWESOMERON

10-19-2006, 4:15 PM

Now with some hindsight and by no means talking about the damage on the Big Island and else where. Just talking about Oahu and no where else. The events of Sunday Oct 15 aside from the shaking, consisted of several hours with out electric power and the results of that. Which had to do with the greater and lesser degrees of our preparedness. Some of us were much more ready then others. I have already corrected some of my short comings. My best means of getting radio information was on the $12 pocket radio that I carry in my back pack. From that radio I was able to get Perry and Price and Kathy with a K. Their voices were calm and reasuring. They also interviewed the people that mattered. Civil Defense was slack and slow to come on board, but this one may have cought them pants down. However except for the Airport which was a shame. More or less life went on. I got a call from a faith group member that we where going to have services but decided to stay off the road and home. The fact that every home is still standing and no major accidents, and the Aloha less not messing things up. This faell to about number 3 on the years list of awful events. The 10 poles coming down on Ferrington Highway in a fairly minor storm and I was on the wrong side of it when it happened. (my answer to that was to rent a room at the Airport Inn stopping at Jack In The Box on the way). The next would be being cought in the traffic jam from hell when the overpass got knocked down, I was on the C Bus it was dark and we were going very very slow. Slow enough we were able to get off and get food,pee, and get back on the same bus. Also the Bus Stopped in the Fast Lane of the H-1 for the same purpose more then once. Both were worse because I could not get home. I carry more then a 24hr supply of Meds when ever I am going outside of walking distence (5 or 6 miles from home).You can get cut off on this Island very easy. I find the feeling of being trapped almost over wellming.We quickly forget after things return to normal and move on to the next thing. Some of us will quickly forget why we were not close to the comfort leval we desired. Life happens, Life moves on. It was not Vietnam, it was not Tet, and I was far from my last clip. It might be worse next time. Are you ready to be with out power when the communists come. A very expensive redundent back up system will only work when the poles are standing up. We might have to look more to controling the computers in stead of them controling us. Do you want systems so advanced that you can't control them? I wounder if nine months from now if there will be a slight increase in the number of births in Hawaii and among tourist that were in Hawaii when this event took place. That hapened in New York when the lights went out also in Portland when they went out for up to 10 days in the winter, in the freezing rain, on Black Ice. You are so lucky to live Hawaii.

Po'ohala "To carry on Ohana, Virtues and Skills" "Its not about how often you fall down. Its about how often you get back up." 2006 "Application of your faith will change your life"

AWESOMERON

10-18-2006, 12:59 PM

I had been thinking about saving some money and getting rid of Hawaiian Tel. Switching my phone service to the Cable Company. Well Pau with that idea. I think HECO did a good job considering they have some limitations. The trouble with sucking it up is that I don't want to bottom line at the end of the day I like my lights. My keiki and foster Keiki were at a loss for somthing to do with the power off and the media down. They finally read books and played games. Hand held video games work well. Lots of ways to pass the time. Read, talk to each other. However mostly people walk around listening to the radio and KSSK (thank you Perry and Price and Kathy with a K you were wounderful. ) waiting for news as to when the power is going to be back on. If it had gotton dark just go to bed early. I know where my flash light is in the dark. It is in the night stand along my adult toys. No need to post guards the first night. 2nd night and then on sleep in shifts. Protect against looters. Mostly someone sitting on the lanai with a shotgun will stop most with an intent to steal. I coontend that if the central goverment fails or if we are cut off for an extended period of time. Say a week or more, the Aloha will end and things will become tribal quickly. I might be wrong on the timing (because this is Hawai'i)but the longer it takes to get supplies the more you have to worry about the unprepared going after the perpared. If you stuff is worth your life or your life depends on your stuff, then you have to defend it. The result of not doing that is that you are in the emergency shelter with the rest of the unprepared. The food line may be okey but the Med line is a different story. When you buy stuff do not forget pet food, fish food, etc. Most tropical fish in Hawaii will get by with out a tank heater for awhile. Goldfish, and Sharks are getto and will live through just about anything. They do this power outage thing on the mainland and I assume here sometimes because they do not have the money to pay the light bill. Save your old hard line phones. Cordless are useless in this. Also have some Bic Razors on hand.

Po'ohala "To carry on Ohana, Virtues and Skills" "Its not about how often you fall down. Its about how often you get back up." 2006 "Application of your faith will change your life"

hokumahoe

10-18-2006, 4:55 AM

A big mahalo to Paula Akana, Shawn Ching and the crew at KITV for being virtually the only news source available to us on the Hamakua coast. We caught an occasional brief interlude about the earthquake from two radio stations but then they went back to some annoying music(?)

With that said a big mahalo to Helco too for bringing power back so quickly so that we could go online, turn the TVs on and save our refrigerated food. It did cross our minds that the possibility existed of being without power like Oahu was for many hours and a panic scenario would have caused many to drive through the road hazards on the Big Island for survival goods.

Hawaii State EAS and the monthly test we put up with failed miserably.

Again, the team at KITV deserves an award!

alexsgirl

10-18-2006, 4:25 AM

Kala Mai- One more thing Mahalo Nui Loa to KITV for being on air and keeping the stated informed. Paula and Shawn "Mahalo for coming in on Sunday" and the rest of the crew and to Hawaiian Telecom- good job. The phone lines had no problem!!!HANA MAIKA'I

Aloha No, Kanani Malakaua

alexsgirl

10-18-2006, 4:19 AM

On Sunday my family and I were getting ready to head to the beach for the day. I sat down for a minute before heading out the door and thats when I felt the shaking of the house. I thought for a second "Oh jus a small earthquake" until it became stronger and items on the shelf had look as if they were being thrown off by someone. With such great force the house seemed as if were on a roller coaster. I immediately yelled for my eldest daughter who was in the room with my father at the time and ran toward them. It happened so fast it was over. My fiance and I immediately checked to see if the rest of the family was okay. My sister and I ran downstairs to check on my brother who was sleeping at the time. We walked outside to see if there was any damage outside the home and luckily there was none. The steel light post was swaying back and forth. I reside on Kohala and was so worried because my mother was at home. I finally got thru to her via phone line. She said our home had taken a beating. I then made the decision that I had to get home. Leaving La'iopua-Hawaiian Homes in Kailua-Kona at around 8:00 am we embarked on a journey home that I will never forget. From the Keahole Airport to Mahukona was something I had never seen. Boulders and lava rock of all shapes and sizes covered the roads leaving only one lane open in certain areas. As we got to Kawaihae we noticed the high way had cracked and later discovered another crack at Mahukona. As we drove thru Kohala it was silent. Families and business owners stood outside their property and looked at the damage the earthquake had caused. As we pulled into our driveway our stone walls had collapsed covering the driveway. In our kitchen evey piece of glass had shattered on the kitchen floor. Canned goods fell off the pantry shelf exploding. My office was a complete disaster. All my books on the bookshelf had fallen onto my desk completely crushing my computer monitor and keyboard. My printer/fax/scanner had fallen over and landed upside down, shattering into pieces. Every picture and certificate of achievement on the wall no longer has a piece of glass on the frame. My home has shifted and some areas are cracked. There is a 1 inch gap between my lanai and the house. But luckily no one got hurt!!! Later that day the roads that provide the only access to Kohala were closed for several hours. If there were any need of outside assistance what would have they done? Is this state ready for a disaster? Do we realize we are centered in the middle of the pacific and assistance from other states or countries are hours away from us? Are there any alternate routes to ensure the residents of Kohala will be able to head to safer ground? Never mind the electricity in Honolulu. Lives could have been in danger and no way out to safey. We on the BIg Island have surely been shaken by this whole experience and I personally am damn paranoid with every little movement in the house and every cracking sound. I have surely learned from this experience. I have yet to see our second home Punana Leo o Waimea. My hiapo, Kau'i has been learning to speak fluent Hawaiian since the age of 2 is a student there. We have been informed that our kula has suffered a significant amount of damage. The keiki will not be able to return until repairs have been made. Will we be prepared next time? We don't know because earthquakes come and go.......

Aloha No, Kanani Malakaua

HIislander

10-17-2006, 10:16 PM

I don't know about the rest of you but... I was prepared after the quake. Had my kit ready, food, water, all good stuffs. Took off to Iao and waited at a relatives house. I dont know why people stressing about what to do or where to go. Commom sense - if you live on one island this long you should know after an earthquake... u hele up da mountain!And no offense but anyone whose lived in Hawaii for long time should already know - You must always be prepared for a tsunami/eruption/hurricane/quake. Oahu- No Power- Suck It UP. There are bigger problems than having no power. As for the tourists - tuff. Just bad luck. One of you must have tried to take a REALLY BIG lava rock. Mahalo.

ve9dwf

10-17-2006, 9:46 PM

Hi, I am posting this message from New Brunswick Canada. To question my interest in posting this message on a Hawaiian new channel, lets just say that I have a special interest in Hawaii that I have been ?following? for the past 11 years. It was great to hear from her again the day of the earthquake considering she was only 10 miles away from the center. I appreciated KITV video streaming which was my only source of info of the happening events. I was not able to call by phone for almost 11 hours do too busy circuits.

My main reason for posting here is that fact I consider the restoration time of electric power on Oahu from a total blackout to be well within reasonable time. My experience in field is 16 years of being a senior plant operator / grid operator here in the province. We have simulated total blackout situations here in the province, with estimates that it would take as long to restored if not longer with a system about the same size as Oahu.

It?s perfectly understandable to me that a 6.7 earthquake would probably trip the majority of thermal type generating plants with my best guess that they all probably tripped on falsely detected Turbine Bearing Vibration because of the earthquake. HECO may simply want to immediate shutdown upon detection of a strong earthquake for protection of these units. Some of these units are very large spinning turbines structures that operate at high temperature, hi speeds , and under very small clearance tolerance between rotating and non-rotating parts.

Not having the advantage like on the mainland of "borrowing the jumper cables and jump starting from your next door state", HECO must disconnect all non-generating sources from the grid, black start its emergency units, restore power to all its own power plants , then have these units start up , come online , and at the same time balance generated power and consumed power as customers are plugged back into the system. Too much of one or not enough of the other, your back to step 1.

It's like the card game of 52 card pick, once the deck is on the floor, you have to pick them back up one at a time.

great job guys.

Best regards to all