Your stories from the Hawaiian earthquake

Some were up early to watch NFL football games, others were in church for early services. When a 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit Hawaii on Sunday morning, it shook homes and rattled nerves, say MSNBC.com readers who wrote in with their stories. Power outages of more than 12 hours caused some to break out the barbecues and others to reflect on how little they had on hand for an emergency. Above all, said many, Hawaii's famous "Aloha spirit" shone through.

The following are just a few of the several hundred responses received by MSNBC.com:

I survived Hurricane Iwa, the 7.0 earthquake in 1975, Hurricane Iniki, and now this 6.6 earthquake. I live in the hills above Pearl Harbor on the island of O'ahu. On the day of the earthquake I was just outside of my garage, speaking on my cell. The first thing I noticed was that there were no birds. I thought this was a bit odd but it was raining slightly. Then my friend on the phone said "do you feel that? It's an earthquake!" A second later I heard rumbling. Then the roof started rattling. The car started rocking from side to side while the ground vibrated. If ever you were in a stadium where the "Wave" was being done you'd know the feeling! The "Wave" starts off with hundreds of people stomping their feet. You can feel the vibration getting more and more intense as the wave gets closer. The only difference is that instead of going up and down like the "Wave" it felt like we were going side to side. I said to my friend something like "yeah it's an earthquake but look towards Pearl Harbor. Maybe the North Koreans nuked Pearl Harbor." At that instant the 5.8 aftershock hit and the power went out. We got off the phone immediately. A few minutes later I saw many of my neighbors coming out of their homes looking around baffled. It was weird. No dogs barking, no car alarms going off. It was quiet. It even stopped raining. I went to get my radio. Only two radio stations were broadcasting. One of them was a Japanese speaking station. I don't speak Japanese. Thank God for KSSK radio! They were the only English broadcast on air that day. Thank you. I also thanked God. I was going to go surfing that morning. I though for sure a tsunami would be generated. We were lucky. We only sustained minor damage. My heart goes out to the people in the Kona area of the Big Island. About an hour after the 5.8 aftershock all the birds returned. --Danny Kato, Jr. (submitted on Oct. 16, 2006)

I am a resident of Holualoa, a small town about 3 miles from Kailua-Kona. My wife and I live at 1100ft elevation in our 2-story home. I was awakened in bed Sunday morning at 707am when the house began to shake. It lasted about 20-25 seconds, and was the biggest shake since 1983, when another large earthquake happened. Our home sustained only minor damage, primarily from objects falling off shelves. Downtown Kailua-Kona, the oldest church in the State of Hawaii, Mokuaikaua (Built 1838), sustained some damage which initially appears to be minor. Although the steeple swayed under the earthquake load, it remained intact. However, across the street, Hulihee Palace DID sustain some structural damage at the peak of the roof as well as at the eve of the roof. This is one of many buildings in the area that will have to have structural assessment done to determine what remedial work should be considered. --David Ross (submitted on Oct. 16, 2006)

I live on the island of Oahu with my family. When the earthquake hit we were all so scared, but we knew we had each other. When it was over, my dad brought out our camping equipment and checked on our food and bottled water. We also went around to our neighbors to make sure they had enough supplies to last them for the day, at least. We felt so disconneced from the world, that I had to call my mom in New York for news updates. When everything finally settled down, we all realized we would be okay, and we were better off than some other people. When the power came back on, we also realized we would have to go to school the next day and that is when reality set in that people have the will and the capability so survive, so we knew we would be alright. --Shannon Lee (submitted on Oct. 16, 2006)

My husband and I were staying at the Hyatt Regency in Kanapali, Maui. The hotel was rocking and swaying. It lasted 30 seconds to a minute and was very strong. We also felt the first large aftershock and it was equally as strong, it just didn't seem to last as long. We left our hotel to catch a 10:00am flight to Honolulu. There was no power at all in Maui. We were able to leave on our flight after a 2 hour delay. Upon arriving in Honolulu, it was total chaos. There was no power and we coudn't find anyone who knew where we should go to catch our next flight. Passengers were milling around, there didn't seem to be any airline personnel there to help us. Even the TSA people didn't know how to help us. At one point I watched an ATA plane come in, heading for the gate, while along side it a white van was furiously trying to catch up to it. All of the sudden a flight attendant bounded out of nowhere and stood in front of the jet and guided it safely into the gate. The Gate personnel jumped out of the van, with the red flashlights in their hands, ready to guide the plane in, but it had already been guided in by the flight attendant.The flight attendant curtsied infront of the plane and a potential problem was averted. We waited 10 1/2 hours, swtiching gates a few tmes, before our flight left for Seattle. Some of the inbound passengers in Honolulu had to stay on their planes for 3 1/2 - 4 hours as the jet ways were non-functional and there was only one set of portable stairs to unload all of the airplanes in our terminal. There was no intercom system, no form of communication other than hand held radios. People started congregating together by asking what city they were heading to in hopes that if we stayed together once they told us where we needed to go, we wouldn't miss our plane. It was a very tiring experience and I am glad to be home!! --Maria Smart (submitted on Oct. 16, 2006)

I live right next to Pear Harbor Naval Base at Hickam AFB and yes, it was a very strong earthquake. Our power went out about 10 minutes after the quake and was restored around 10 pm Sunday night. While the earthquake was an inconvenience for us, we are thankful that there were no reports of massive injuries on any of the islands. I think this was a wake up call for many of us to be more prepared for such events. I struck me yesterday morning while waiting in a grocery store line for ice that if the power was out for a matter of days living on an island could delay getting any supplies. I will definately keep a better stock of emergency supplies for our family and to share with others around us. --Joni Wallace (submitted on Oct. 16, 2006)

I live on Oahu on Schofield Barracks near the mountains. I live in a brand new house that has been built to hurricane standards with metal studs and other preventative materials. I was on the second floor, in bed, just waking up when the quake hit. I heard a loud rumbling and everthing began to shake. My bed shook so much it felt like one of those cheesy vibrating beds at a cheap hotel. I didn't think it would ever stop. Thankfully, we did not suffer any damage, just had to re-situate some picture frames and vases. My thoughts and prayers go out to those who were injured. --Lori Glassco (submitted on Oct. 16, 2006)

Our family is stationed here on Oahu at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, and live close to the airport. Our two story home was just shaking and rattling for 10 seconds or so. No damage to anything in our home, and our three year old son slept right through it. Both our daughters just went about their morning business. It was a little scaring and exciting because it was the first earthquake for the kids and I, although my husband had experienced them before. We were without power for 20 HOURS. It just came on about 2 hours ago, a little after 3:00 am. --Lesley Coomes (submitted on Oct. 16, 2006)

I am in Ohau with my wife and were in bed at the JW Marriott when the quake hit. Having lived in California for a few years we knew what was hitting us and when we could get out of our bed we got out of the buidling ASAP! JW people were wonderful and took great care us and the other tourists....tough day with bad weather on top of the quake, no power etc. but no one hurt or worse. My biggest complaint was we and many others had flights back to the mainland and we were told to go to the airport (I knew that was a mistake) but we did as we were told....and of course, no power, no security, no toilets, no food, no information and no one to help thousands of passengers (young and old) and ultimately NO FLIGHTS and of course no place to go ....Governor you might have wanted to take care of your airports..... --mike stramaglio (submitted on Oct. 16, 2006)

I was awake, but laying in bed watching the rain fall outside my bedroom window. I sleep on the top bunk of a bunk bed unit. When the earthquake started it was small and then gradually grew to very loud rumbling/rolling, etc. the bunk was litterally rocking and rolling and ratteling. The three cat's were going crazy and my two cockatiels thrashed around in their covered cage. I had to uncover them and gentley calm them down. The female lost all of her tail feathers in the ruckus. The authorities advised us to stay home anmd not venture out unless you really had to because driving would be difficult. Our electricity was off for 8+ hrs and cable and phone was out for at least another 4hrs or so. Thank goodness we had enough food, water for us and the pets plus batteries and TP and other necessities. We have had heavy rain for at least a couple days or so and it is still continuing. I am sorry I wasn't able to take any pictures as I didn't venture out. We had a beautiful rainbow over our condo complex though. I live in Ewa Beach on the island of Oahu. My brother and his wife have a time-share on the Big Island but, thankfully they weren't on the Island vacationing. I was born and raised in San Diego, Calif. so I am used to earthquakes and I did not panic but, I knew this was a humdinger when it grew worse and lasted such a long time. We had quite a few after shocks also. My sister and I send our prayers to everyone. --Yvonne Anderson (submitted on Oct. 16, 2006)

I live on the sixth floor of a twelve story building in Honolulu. The initial earthquake (at 7:07 am) and large aftershock caused the concrete building to shake and sway. Several pictures fell from my desk. Almost immediately, the electricity went out. Fortunately, most people in Hawaii have what is known as "Aloha spirit," and a neighbor thoughtfully put a radio in the hallway so we could keep up to date. If it were not for that, I would have had no idea how widespread the conditions were or how strong the earthquake really was. I spent the day reading and hoping that the electricity would come back on because it took this event to make me realize how unprepared I am for a disaster! I had no battery-operated radio (or batteries!), candles, bottled water, etc. It is easy to become complacent when you live in a place where natural disasters have been somewhat limited. Electricity has been coming on area by area, as to not overpower the grids with large surges. Hawaii Electric Company (HECO) has been restoring power all day, but up to half of Oahu is still in the dark at this time - 12:47 AM, Monday. My electricity went back on at about 9:15 Sunday evening, and I could see pockets of darkness from my balcony. Events such as these bring out either the best or worst of people, and price-gouging was reported as early as a couple of hours after the earthquake hit. Officials were quick to air statements that each offense is punishable by a $10,000 fine and urged people to report any findings of price-gouging or looting. I am proud of the calm and helpfulness displayed by everyone I encountered yesterday, but I am not surprised. As I said, locals have the Aloha spirit, and it is (mostly) in our natures to help others in times of need. I think most people found this event to be a wake-up call. I am grateful that there were no deaths and damage was minimal in comparison to what it could have been. Personally, I am putting together a disaster preparedness kit in the morning. --Cheri-ann Shiroma (submitted on Oct. 16, 2006)

I live in Downtown Honolulu and it was quite a day. The quake hit hard waking me out of bed, but I slept through it. The only rough part was trying to find food in the ghost-town. My roomate and I only had thirty dollars between us so we went to Chinatown to find a bit of rations. We were without electricity until 12:20am Hawaiian time. I am very certain we were the very last to recieve electricty because every building surrounding ours was illuminated well in advance. To keep our sanity from boredom, we played 'UNO' for hours at a time, surviving on nothing but sports drink and corn tortillas. Overall, I think the police and emergency departments did a great job today keeping the peace. It was a long and challenging day, but with the 'Aloha spirit', we are managing just fine thus far. --Cody Rodriguez (submitted on Oct. 16, 2006)

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