I Feel the Earth Move Under my Feet

Aloha and welcome back to the Kohala Coast Blog,
Today, we decided to include this first hand report from a Kona resident who experienced the Kohala Coast earthquake on Sunday morning at 7:07 am. We thought we'd share this account with our blog visitors without changing any wording. It is an email we received from Judith Kahealani Lynne from Kona. Please, read on. Stay safe. Aloha, Pua

Aloha kakou -

Well it's been a memorable morning to say the least.... I knew it was time to jump out of bed when I heard things starting to crash above me and I figured it wasn't a good idea to be a part of the rubble. Fortunately Scott (I live in the ohana space at Scott and David's) is an excellent architect and after living in Southern California he had the savvy to be very wise in the design and construction of this place. So all that was damaged was some glass items, some very valuable art (he has an amazing collection of museum quality Buddhist art) and our nerves.

I'm still shaking...... It felt like the Tutu Pele her very self, picked the place up and shook us by the shoulders... "straighten up right now!"We live at the 1400' level, above the airport and I swear to God it felt that the epicenter was right below us! The feeling of standing barefoot on the lava/earth during an earthquake like this is indescribable. I could feel it shaking in the depths....After surveying the damage we decided it was time to make phone calls. Only problem .... no electricity making it impossible to use my phone and the internet was down, too. My cell had half a battery left - just enough to call my kids, my dad and step-mom and sisters. The local radio stations were out, so it we couldn't get any information until a friend of David's called from New York to let us know that we had had an earthquake measuring 6.3 and the epicenter was right below us ... well duh!

Then my friend Julie who works on the national level for the government during emergency situations called my cell and said that she couldn't find anything on the government's websites, however FOX news was all over it! So she relayed that it was a 6.5 earthquake, Kona Community Hospital sustained damage and had to be evacuated, Royal Kona Inn also was evacuated due to damage, outgoing flights were not allowed at the airports, there were rock slides on Queen K Highway and other places. Now I'm listening to KAPA, which has become a veritable hotbed of community activity as everybody calls in with their stories and information about the roads, utilities, etc. Local at it's best.

Anyway, I think you can listen to them on the web if you want to get the flavor of what it's like out here.(NOTE: Make sure you've got at least one old style phone that actually plugs into the wall to use when the electricity goes down.Also since the bank machines don't work, nor do the credit card machines without electricity, make sure you've got a stash of cash for emergencies, because the stores are on a cash only basis right now. Julie says you can get a crank up radio at Radio Shack which seems like a really good idea for when the batteries run out.) Just heard that the bridge at Kawaihae is completely closed, water is lost in Lapahoehoe, the road between Waimea and Hilo is closed, so you have to take the Saddle Road and a lot of roads have debris and boulders on them. Just heard that the pali above Kealakekua Bay collapsed and took a fancy house with it.News flash! KAPA is playing the Jimmy Buffet song "I Don't Know Where I'm a gonna go when the volcano blows...."

Real Estate values are plummeting! Anyone want a good deal on the Royal Kona fixer upper.....And that's my report from de island.....Rockin' an rollin' in Kona,Kahealani (Judith Lynne)

Judith Kahealani Lynne"moving heaven and earth with the voice www.frequencykeepers.com

I lei kau, E lei ho'oilo I kealoha.
"Love is worn like a wreath through the summers and the winters, Love is everlasting." Mary Kawena Pukui

You will hear from us soon with more stories and updates on the Kohala Coast. Be safe. A hui hou. Aloha, Pua www.kohalacoastweb.com