Categorized | Featured, News, Tsunami

Tsunami 2011: Updates for Thursday (March 17)

(Photo courtesy of Four Seasons)

Last Friday, Hawaii Island, especially the Kona District, sustained some damage from the tsunami generated by an earthquake near Japan, but nearly all hotels, businesses and attractions are open, tourism officials said.

Some hotels and businesses along the Kona and Kohala coasts were damaged by wave surge and debris, but most are open and are welcoming guests.

Two resorts that remain closed are Four Seasons Resort Hualālai, which plans to reopen April 30, and Kona Village Resort. Phone lines at Kona Village are now working.

Kailua Pier was deemed structurally sound, and all charters that normally operate from the Pier, including Body Glove, Atlantis Submarines and Jack’s Diving Locker, are operating as usual.

The Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Pride of America cruise ship will stop in Kona on Wednesday, March 23 as planned.

King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel is also open, and guest rooms were not damaged. However, the luau area, ground floor public areas including the lobby and Kona Beach Restaurant, were flooded by seawater, sand and debris.

Cleanup efforts are well underway, and several retail stores have reopened. The swimming pool and Billfish Bar are open, and the cleanup team has removed all of the carpet from the lobby and replaced all of the furniture. The award-winning Island Breeze Luau will resume Sunday, March 20.

While the sands at Kamakahonu Beach were mostly swept away, Kona Boys have pitched in to tidy up the coastal area fronting King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.

Kona Boys are continuing to offer outrigger canoe rides, stand-up paddlesurfing (SUP), kayaking and snorkeling on the calm waters of Kailua Bay from their beach hut at Kamakahonu.

Hulihee Palace is temporarily closed, but two upcoming outdoor events on palace grounds are still happening as scheduled. This Sunday’s band concert is confirmed, as is the annual palace fundraiser, Day at Hulihee, on Saturday, March 26.

Fair Wind Big Island Ocean Guides have resumed charters aboard Hula Kai and Fair Wind II from Keauhou Bay, and Keauhou Pier was not damaged, although Fair Wind’s check-in facility will be undergoing repair. Check-ins are being handled at a modified location nearby.

The company reports that the north part of Kealakekua Bay near the Captain Cook Monument where the Fair Wind II moors for its popular snorkeling trip, has excellent visibility.

At Anaehoomalu Bay in the Waikoloa Beach Resort, the tsunami surge cleaved the beach in half, and waves breached the lava rock walls at Kings’ Pond. The public beach access and parking lot at the south end are closed until further notice. The public can access the northern portion of the beach at the Kolea condominium community.

Ocean Sports’ catamaran Sea Smoke resumed charters Thursday at Anaeho’omalu.

No damage has been reported at any of the island’s renowned golf courses.

There were no deaths or serious injuries reported in Hawaii from Friday’s tsunami. All airports are open and flights are on time, and all roads are open.

“We are deeply touched by the outpouring of well wishes from visitors, both here and far away. And in typical Hawaii Island style, our community, government officials and local agencies are working together efficiently and quickly to get the cleanup job done,” said George Applegate, Executive Director of the Big Island Visitors Bureau.

“As we count our blessings, we also send our deepest aloha to Japan, and to everyone who suffered losses due to the earthquake and tsunami,” he said. “For all of us in Hawaii, Japan is so much more than economics. We are friends and family as we are related by our long historical ties and proud heritage.”

Closure updates for West Hawaii National Parks:

Kaloko Honokohau and Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Parks continue to assess tsunami related damage. Puuhonua o Honaunau and Kaloko Honokohau National Historical Park staff continue to assess damage to park resources, trails, and coastal areas.

The tsunami came ashore at Puuhonua o Honaunau and Kaloko Honokohau National Historical Parks on the morning of March 11, 2011, entered into the near coastal regions of the parks, over topping walls and surged inland hundreds of feet.

National Park Service crews will continue to assess coastal areas of both National Parks for the coming days and weeks.

At Kaloko Honokohau National Historical Park the unimproved road to Kaloko Fishpond has been reopened allowing visitor access to the picnic and parking area at the fishpond. A short section of the coastal trail north of Aimakapa fishpond remains closed due to damage and debris covering the trail.

The Hale Hookipa visitor contact station along Queen Kaahumanu Hwy is open 8:30am – 4:00pm daily to provide visitors information about the park and safe access paths to the coastal regions. Much of Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park will remain closed as resource crews assess damage to the park and begin clearing debris.

Currently, visitors are able to access limited areas of the park including: the visitor center, paved parking area, the amphitheater and adjacent grounds and the canoe halau from 9:30am – 4:00pm.

The royal grounds, puuhonua, picnic area, coastal and 1871 trails all remain closed to entry. Park staff continue to assess the cultural layer uncovered by the effects of the tsunami, which removed beach sand in the royal grounds, puuhonua and picnic areas, and damaged the park’s trail systems.

At Puuhonua o Honaunau, the tsunami surges entered the royal grounds and fish ponds throughout the day on March 11, scattering marine debris and coastal vegetation throughout the park grounds.

Further information on Park closures will follow as they become available.

For further information about the parks, call Puuhonua o Honaunau NHP (808) 328-2326 ext 0 and listen for closure updates, or Kaloko Honokohau (808) 326-9057 during operating hours

Shelter Box

Rotary Clubs helping out

The four Rotary clubs in the Kona area are collecting funds for the Japanese relief effort 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday through Sunday at Kona Walmart.

The West Hawaii Rotary clubs (Kona, Kona Sunrise, Kona Mauka and West Hawaii) have banded together to create Aloha From Kona to Japan. We are working on raising funds to send at least five Shelter Boxes to Sendai and Mizusawa. Within the first 24 hours, we had raised enough for two of the $1,000 boxes.

To see more of what the boxes contain and how Rotary has already delivered 400 of them to the hardest hit areas of Sendai & northern Japan, check out http://www.shelterboxusa.org/news.php?id=620

Our sister Rotary clubs are Sendai and Misusawa so we have personal ties and have reached via email the club presidents. They say shelter is the number one priority for the rescue and aid efforts at this time.

We can’t wait and the fastest way we know to get them aid is via Shelter Box USA.

Cash donations or checks made out to ShelterBox USA welcomed (tax deductible).

Abercrombie: State remains safe for resents and visitors

Gov. Neil Abercrombie on Thursday echoed comments made by President Barack Obama that no harmful levels of radiation are expected to reach Hawaii.

Abercrombie said:

“I want to reassure residents and visitors that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the highest authority on radiation in the nation, has indicated Japan’s nuclear emergency presents no danger to Hawaii. Our state and county monitoring systems have not detected any increase in radiation levels, and based on all available information, state and federal experts do not anticipate any risk of harmful radiation exposure to our islands. We are open for business. Hawaii continues to be the world’s paradise.

“Residents do not need to take protective measures at this time. Our state Department of Health is working closely with state, county and federal agencies to monitor the situation on a minute-to-minute basis. Ongoing updates and informational sessions are taking place with federal authorities.

“In the meantime, we continue to send our aloha to the people of Japan. As one island people to another, we stand with them in solidarity and in sympathy for the challenges they are facing.”

For more information, call 211 or visit www.hawaii.gov/health or http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/

Japan still accepting international mail

Despite the tragic events as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the postal administration of Japan continues to accept all types of international mail.

Mailers are advised, however, to expect delays in the delivery of all types of mail sent to Japan and in the transmission of information on Express Mail International items and Priority Mail International parcels.

Significant delays could be experienced for items addressed to northern Japan, including Sapporo, Sendai, Hokkaido, Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata, Fukushima, and Ibaraki.

Additional information and updates regarding acceptance and movement of international mail to these areas are posted online at www.usps.com/communications/news/serviceupdates.

The U.S. Postal Service in Hawaii has begun checking mail arriving from Japan after mail in San Francisco and New York showed low levels of radiation, USPS officials reported.

The USPS has five international service centers – Honolulu, New York, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

(Photos courtesy of Four Seasons)

 

 

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