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Big Island Civil Defense Declares State Of Emergency

POSTED: 9:46 am HST October 15, 2006
UPDATED: 10:08 am HST October 15, 2006

Big Island Civil Defense officials declared a state of emergency on Sunday after an earthquake struck off the Waikoloa coast.

The quake measured 6.5, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The U.S. Geological Society reported that the quake measured 6.3.

Kona Community Hospital suffered some structural damage, according to Civil Defense officials. Officials were concerned about the building's safety. Workers evacuated patients from the hospital and at Honokaa Long-Term Care Facility.

The ceiling at Killer Tacos restaurant in Kona collapsed, a worker at a nearby business told KITV.

A smokestack at a sugar mill in North Kohala that stood nearly 100 feet toppled during the quake, a Kohala resident told KITV.

There are no reports of fatalities or major injuries, Civil Defense officials said.

Kona police said that they recalled officers who were off duty. They have between 70 and 80 officers on the road trying to help residents and watching over areas.

The earthquake caused landslides and boulders to roll onto Kaahumanu Highway. Police closed Highway 190 into Kailua-Kona because of debris and damage on the roads.

A resident in Kohala reported that the quake caused many things to fall off shelves in his home and that his stove moved 8 inches from its original sitting place.

He said that he could see broken rock walls and cracked foundations at a number of homes.

Officials urged people to stay at home and off the roads.
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