My regular consulting trip to Hawaii was scheduled for next Monday. I expect to get some word from my clients today or tomorrow about whether it will take place as planned. I've sent them some brief inquiries, but since they are all trying to "get the lights on" I suspect it may be some time more before I receive any word.
I found while watching TV yesterday that "network" news is generally clueless (in NYC) about Hawaiian geography, so the constant repetition of the same film clips and the same "bulletins" was hardly instructive.
The major environmental damage/disruption (fortunately no tsunami) appears to have been on the Big Island of Hawaii, with the quake's epicenter off its northwest tip. Al lives 170 miles away on Oahu, where, among other possibilities, some undefined (unreported) structural problems shut down Oahu's electrical grid yesterday (apparently all of it). FYI = they do not have the benefit of a 2700 mile extension cord connecting them to Grand Coulee. Bringing it back up is, mechnically and electrically, a painstaking and relatively slow process. The electrical utility down there is one of the most reliable and self-reliant organizations anyone could ask for.
I've just read that perhaps 50% of Oahu's customers have their power restored now (Monday, 0830 PDT). Let's hope that included Al. I've also sent him a inquiry. The State's principal daily newspaper's web site is either down or flooded w/calls, so I could not get it to appear on my monitor.
One other point. There is more to the Aloha Spirit than meets the tourist eye. You can expect that the many communities/people affected by this disaster will genuinely work to help each other, in sharp contast to some behaviors following recent national disasters elsewhere.
