Hawaii Earthquake Today: 5.3 Quake Strikes, No Tsunami Expected (VIDEO)
A 5.3 magnitude earthquake has struck off the southeast coast of Hawaii on Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Officials do not believe that a tsunami will develop after the earthquake struck, centered around 34 miles southeast of Pahala on the Big Island.
Wes Thele, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Seismic Network manager told KHON2.com: "The earth is very sound down there there's not a lot of cracks, therefore waves travel very efficiently through the material."
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No damage has been reported from Tuesday's quake, despite the magnitude, according to Hawaii County Civil Defense director Darryl Oliveira. He also said that a mass notification of the quake was sent out via text messages, email and radio broadcasts.
"It was a pretty significant jolt," he told Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
The quake was felt as far as Oahu and Maui.
Kevin Dayton, the executive assistant to the mayor, said he felt a "large jolt" while he was in the county building in Hilo, according to AP.
Hawaii experienced its most destructive tsunami on April 1, 1946, after an earthquake struck Aleutian Islands. The waves were up to 55 feet high, according to USGS. The tsunami resulted in over $25 million in damages, and 173 people were killed in Hilo and a further 163 injured.
The 1946 tsunami prompted the state to form a Tsunami Warning System so residents in Hawaii and bordering countries could be warned in advance of a future tsunami.
Here is a video news report into the earthquake today in Hawaii:
