God love you people! Namely OSB and Faina.

Yes, that's the spirit!!! Faina, hug your family for me - from one who knows the hell of disaster, recovery and the delicate balance that must be achieved.

I thought decarlo was an islander - my mistake.

Tuff board...must be Monday and I wasn't here too much to be kicked around.

BayouGal: NO. I will hug my father, but hugging his woman... sorry not so brave. I'll leave it for you - to hang a lei on her. Or vice versa

Ok FainaAgain, there you go again. LMAO, my father and his woman.

I just spit out a good cab all over the desk!

The fact that there aren't deaths reported is comforting.. it is always a wake-up call to remember how vulnerable we are on these large shifting plates beneath us.

Our kids in Alaska have drills for earthquake, tsunami and volcano events, and the procrastinators are frequently reminded to have an emergency bag prepared, as well as having adequate emergency supplies at home.

I am reminded of my son as a four year old when we vacationed on the B.I .. he heard the monthly tsunami siren which he knew also from our coastal town in Alaska.

The local kids he was playing with stayed put in the sand, but my son got up as in a trance and began to sway.. many of the parents chuckled as we explained "we're from Alaska, and he knows that sound".

Everyone here is concerned for the well being of others, and friends and family, so I would hope that the updates aren't peppered with any hurtful comments. Be safe Hawaiian Fodorites

I am going to Honolulu on Nov 1st - I was surprised at work this morning when some folks asked me was I still going after the earthquake. Of course I'm still going! Why wouldn't I? I've paid for it, looked forward to it and can't wait for it! And I've been collecting $$ to spend while I'm there and can't wait to do that either. I grew up in So Calif and have lived through many earthquakes - while I am so sorry for those who suffered damage and upset in their lives from Sunday's quake, I also understand that the quake is done and over - whether there will be another soon is anybody's guess - but to cancel my trip would be dumb and serve no sensible purpose.

F2,
"his woman"...is your Dad a caveman?:-?

Well said jet!

Hello everyone,

Thank goodness for, what we hope will remain the case, no loss of life and as minimal property damage as possible. My family (hubby and 2 young kids) are headed to Kauai in under two weeks. Any news that we should know about? We fully intend to come to Kauai but thank fellow travelers for sharing helpful tips on how to stay safe. My husband and I have traveled to many paces in the world that some deem unsafe. Our opinion, living in metro NYC, is that tragedy can happen anywhere at anytime. It is best to be mindful of this and be prepared. I look forward to spending my $$ in Kauai and experiencing the Aloha spirit.

Safe travels everyone.

Kal, no, my dad is not. Put your men's solidarity feelings to rest I just don't know what to call her. Not a stepmother - they are not even married! Girfriend? They are too old for that.

Tisler and everyone, living in San Francisco, it always makes me feel unsafe: what if an earthquake happens when I'm asleep in a hotel room, and something heavy falls on me? Why, o why do they have to hang heavily framed pictures above the headboards?

Seriously, even in LA and wine country they put pictures over guests' beds.

"Warden"?
"Ball n' Chain"
"Lady friend"?

Update from the Big Island:
The main highway from Hilo to Kona has 1 section out due to the earthquake. This is at milepost 35 and there is a detour through a cane field. Delays are about 15-20 minutes. One road from Kawaihae to Hawi is closed but there are 2 alternate ways of getting to Hawi.
The following hotels are open and back to normal:
Hilton Waikoloa
All Outrigger and Ohana Hotels (Waikoloa and Keahou)
The Four Seasons at Hualalai
all hotels in Kailua-Kona with the exception of Kona by the Sea due to water damage only.
The Hapuna Prince and Mauna Kea are open to guests but will be assessing future reservations within the next 24 hours.
All restaurants, shops, activities are open and back to normal.
Beaches are open and weather is fine. storm due in tonight, but should be gone by tomorrow.
Volcano National Park is open and fully operational with some lava breakouts coming down the mountain which makes for good viewing.
No deaths, only minor injuries, 1 fire, all power, phones, cable etc restored long before Oahu got theirs back.
No reason to stay away if you've got plans already, come on over, the waters fine!

p.s. did one of you call my office this morning?

Mat, great information! One of our Denver news channels was interviewing a local travel agent who was advising all of her clients to cancel their trips to the Big Island. It was really annoying. Obviously, she had not gone to any great lengths to get good information on the conditions on the BI.

Any info on the Marriott Waikoloa? I stayed there two years ago and loved it.

I think the pictures in a hotel room are securely screwed to the wall so nobody steals them. In any case, they're not going to fall on your head unless the whole wall does!

When we stayed in Philadelphia earlier this year, the hotel had information clearly posted in each room telling you what to do in case of a tornado. Now, I know what to do in an earthquake, but tornadoes are new to me, so that was very helpful.

I've never checked in California or Hawaii, but do hotels have info about their emergency plans available in each room? if they don't all do that, I think they should consider it.

Loss of life could really damage your whole day.

Please don't lecture me.

You said that loss of tourism could ruin their economy. That's the last thing to consider in a disaster situation.

If you have had a similar experience you should also be encouraging people to prepare themselves like I did. You are confused and have what I said backwards in your head.

You think you have some sort of authority over this thread so I'll let it go. I lived in Hawaii and told you what happened when the power went out for four days.

That's all.

Any word on how things are on the Hana Highway and how the Hotel Hana Maui fared? I'd heard the road was seriously damaged, but that was on Sunday and have not heard anything since.

-Bill

Thanks to the locals for letting us know what's happening as it's happening. The updates have been wonderful to read.

Loss of life and loss of tourism are both unwanted side effects of earthquakes and natural disasters. Thanks to Fodorites' reports we know that both concerns were sidestepped in this situation. I'd step on a plane and fly over today - mostly because mat (and others) have told me firsthand it's okay to do so.

BG, thanks for your spirited posts on this board. You keep this place interesting and happy.

God bless all.

for my billyboy and others interested, just got an email straight from Hana's Heaven....

Report was, no damage in Hana to their knowledge. Says they are fine and so is the hotel and had lunch there after the quake. Further said the Hana Hwy was cleared 6 hours after the quake and that the Hana road crew is quite experienced with clearing landslides on the road.

I believe I will be there in 158 more days!!!!!!!!!!

Melissa, that was me at 8 am Mon your time, but then I got your e-mail. I also let the concerned Asian forum Fodorites know to check here. Ken is in Singapore heading to Tokyo today, family is ok in HI.

Mat: Thanks very much for all the Big Island info!

Barbara: All lodgings post an exit path map usually on the back of the door, I review it first thing after entering the room. Haven't noticed emergency plans posted, might be in the fancy folders of services provided?

Faina: "companion" is better, could work for any amount of legs, 2 or 4, ha ha.