Photo sequence by Baron Sekiya/Hawaii247.com

I shot the above sequence of photos during the actual earthquake. I happen to see a truck with an uncovered load two lanes away while at a stop light near Hilo International Airport and decided to shoot a photo of it. As I shot the photo my car started shaking and I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t hold the shot steady and thought a gust of wind had hit the car suddenly. It was only a minute later I figured-out it was an earthquake. The sequence is very short as I held the shutter button down and it’s looped on part of the video to make it longer. Enjoy, Baron.

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UPDATE: Originally reported as a 5.1 magnitude earthquake the USGS has downgraded the original report to a 5.0 magnitude quake.

We haven’t heard any reports of damage yet. Feel free to comment and let us know what you experienced on your side.

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A 5.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the Big Island at 12:44 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. So far no damage has been reported but police are watching shoreline areas for anything unusual.

Region:                            ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
Geographic coordinates:            19.328N, 155.209W
Magnitude:                        5.1 Mcd
Depth:                            10 km
Universal Time (UTC):             14 Apr 2009  22:44:45
Time near the Epicenter:          14 Apr 2009  12:44:45
Local standard time in your area: 14 Apr 2009  12:44:45

Location with respect to nearby cities:
 14 km (9 miles) SSE (168 degrees) of Volcano, HI
 18 km (11 miles) SSW (207 degrees) of Fern Forest, HI
 21 km (13 miles) SSW (210 degrees) of Eden Roc, HI
 44 km (27 miles) SSW (197 degrees) of Hilo, HI
 351 km (218 miles) SE (128 degrees) of Honolulu, HI

TSUNAMI SEISMIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NUMBER 1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
1249 PM HST TUE APR 14 2009

TO – CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT – LOCAL TSUNAMI INFORMATION

THIS STATEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NO ACTION REQUIRED.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME – 1245 PM HST 14 APR 2009
COORDINATES – 19.3 NORTH 155.2 WEST
LOCATION – IN THE HILINA REGION OF KILAUEA VOLCANO
MAGNITUDE – 5.0

EVALUATION

NO TSUNAMI IS EXPECTED. REPEAT. NO TSUNAMI IS EXPECTED. HOWEVER… SOME AREAS MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED STRONG SHAKING.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY STATEMENT ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL DATA ARE RECEIVED.

More info
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This is a Civil Defense Message.

This is an earthquake informational update for Tuesday afternoon, April 14, at 1:00.

The earthquake which occurred at approximately 12:45 was not large enough to cause a tsunami for the Island or State of Hawai’i. Preliminary date indicates that the earthquake measured 5.0 on the Richter scale and was centered in the vicinity of Hilina Pali, Kilauea Volcano. As in all earthquakes, be aware of the possibilities of after shocks. If the earthquake was strongly felt in your area, precautionary checks should be made for any damages, especially to utility connections of gas, water and power.

Again, the earthquake which occurred at 12:45 measured approximately 5.0 and was not strong enough to cause a tsunami for the Island or State of Hawaii.]

If any additional information becomes available this station will be notified.

Thank you for listening.

This is your Hawai’i County Civil Defense Agency.