Just spoke to Sharon Sakai of the Kohala Coast Resort Association. She said that the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows had reopened its 4th and 5th floors, leaving only its top floor closed. The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel has not opened its ocean wing. Structural engineers came to inspect the property today and give a second opinion. County engineers had already given an all-clear. From what I've heard, that's it for the Kona Coast and there was no other hotel damage anywhere else. There are still some road closures on the Big Island but its all operating normally. Sez West Hawaii Today, the US Coast Guard has closed some parts of Kealakekua Bay (free: reg required) due to landslide fears. This gorgeous bay is a major snorkeling attraction and is popular for its kayaking and pods of spinner dolphins, not to mentions healthy coral and colorful fishies.

One lesson from all this. While Honolulu International Airport was nearly paralyzed for much of the quake period due to power outages, airports on Maui, Kauai and even the Big Island managed to stay up and running without problems. The moral? Take a direct flight to the Neighbor Islands rather than stop in Honolulu, if possible. If anything happens, these smaller airports are likely better equipped to deal with it than the decrepit, aging, and mismanaged facility on Oahu. As Ian Lind, a local political blogger, aptly stated in a post today:

The debacle at Honolulu Airport that left thousands of stranded visitors without toilet facilities simply underscores the serious and chronic mismanagement of that facility, marked by the long-term failure of repair, maintenance, and modernization, along with a generous portion of corruption.

Right on, Ian.

—Alex, 10/17/06