New section added to Center for the Study of Active Volcanos' Natural Hazards Hawaii Web site

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Alyson Kakugawa-Leong, (808) 974-7642
University of Hawaii at Hilo
Posted: Oct 23, 2006

To help the public better understand the nature of the October 15, 2006 Magnitude 6.7 Big Island earthquake, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo‘s Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes (CSAV) has added a special section to its Natural Hazards Hawaiʻi Web site.

"The main page now includes a printable version of the Ka‘u Desert station seismogram of Sunday, October 15, generously provided by the U.S. Geological Survey‘s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/)," said CSAV Educational Specialist Darcy Bevens. "The original paper record is 1‘ x 3‘, but the Web version can be scaled down to print on 11" x 17" paper. On the seismogram, the Magnitude 6.7 and the Magnitude 6.0 earthquakes stretch across the entire sheet."

The Web site (www.uhh.hawaii.edu/~nat_haz) has practical suggestions to reduce the damage from earthquakes, as well as other natural disasters. "For instance, it shows how to secure bookshelves to a wall, how to make an emergency supply kit, and what to do during an earthquake," Bevens explained. "Short video clips illustrate how to build shear walls and install bracings for a water heater."

The site also covers protective strategies for hurricane damage, flash flooding, and tsunamis. It includes photos and video of the November 2000 Big Island flood.

"Residents who used cameras to record the flood in their neighborhoods were happy to donate copies of their photos and footage to CSAV, where it is safely archived on the University campus," Bevens said. "The archived footage is used both for educational purposes, and for analyses by scientists and government agencies.

"If anyone has video footage or photographs of the M 6.7 earthquake damage, CSAV would be grateful to receive copies to archive," she added. "Video footage of the earthquake while it was taking place would be particularly appreciated."

Contact Bevens at csav@hawaii.edu for details.

For more information, visit: http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/~nat_haz