The current volcanic eruption that has been going on the East Rift Zone of Kilauea since 1983 appears to be unaffected; it is going along as it normally has for the past 23+ years. Neither is there any danger of a tsunami. In Hilo there is very minor damage...no exterior or building damage anywhere. The most people lost were a few vases that toppled off shelves.
There are a number of landslides visible along the cliffs of the Hamakua Coast north of Hilo. On the other side of the island in the Kona and Kohala regions that are closest to the epicenter, there is quite a bit of damage. Most of it is in the form of cracks in the highways, landslides, and rock walls that have collapsed.
Some homes have been heavily damaged and there are some substantial cracks in the Hulihee Palace in Kailua-Kona. This is a historic place where King Kamehameha lived for a time. It is a beautiful two-story wooden structure right on the ocean front that is well-worth visiting. Right across the street is the oldest Christian church in the islands, Moku'aikaua Church, built in 1837. It is a rock (lava and coral) and wood structure with a tall steeple and is a landmark of Kailua. To my knowledge there was no substantial damage to the building; but all reports are not in yet.
At Kawaihae north of Kailua-Kona and north of the Waikoloa resorts, the largest heiau or Hawaiian rock temple in the islands suffered some serious damage. Perched on a hill and made of thousands of round rocks, it was obviously susceptible to such a large quake centered only a few miles away.
In Kohala homes were damaged and the landmark smokestack of the former Hawi Sugar Plantation mill crashed down. To the south of Kailua-Kona is the famous Kealakekua Bay noted for its high cliffs, Captain Cook's monument (this is where he was killed), and for its tourist attractions of snorkeling and swimming with the dolphins. There were some serious landslides off these cliffs that literally covered the bay with huge dust clouds. It is going to be interesting to see if any Hawaiian artifacts have been exposed as these cliffs were used for royal burials in the many ancient lava tubes there.
That is about the extent of the damage. With the exception of some schools being closed, everything else is open and operating. Contrary to T.V. reports, everyone here had their electricity back on almost immediately - within a half hour to two hours.
The biggest problem that this island is faced with are all of the rumors coming in from the outside world as a result of ignorant reporting and the incompetent actions and lack of adequate preparation in Honolulu.
Honolulu County (the island of Oahu) has a population in excess of 900,000. The entire state's population is roughly 1.3 million. The Big Island of Hawai'i has a population of about 170,000. Oahu's physical area is only 9% the size of the Big Island. Honolulu is the capital and all communications originate there. Honolulu is also about 150 miles northwest of the island of Hawaii and the epicenter. Within minutes of the earthquake, all electricity on Oahu was automatically shut off. Consequently, all of the news stations were shut down except for the ABC news station there.
