Couple's wedding gets off to a shaky start

8:46am Friday 3rd November 2006

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A PORTON couple have told how their wedding almost ended in disaster when they were caught up in Hawaii's most powerful earthquake in 30 years.

Roy and Tracie Blencowe, who live in Horefield, Porton, arrived for their dream wedding on the island of Oahu on Saturday night, October 14, but were thrown out of their hotel bed at 7am on Sunday by an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale.

Roy (43) said: "It shook really violently at first, then the hotel was just swaying lots. Even as we were running down the escape stairs it was still swaying."

Tracie (41) added: "The hangers were moving inside the wardrobe. There was lots of rattling, but nothing really fell over."

The earthquake was centred off the Kohala Coast of the bigger Hawaii Island where it recorded a 6.6, but there were no deaths and the most serious injuries reported were broken bones.

Older buildings on Oahu were damaged, but the main problem on the island, where three-quarters of the state's 1.2million people live, was the blackout that left many people without electricity for 24 hours.

Automatic computer systems and manual fail safes failed because the force and rapidity of the earthquake overwhelmed the power grid.

Tracie said: "My biggest worry was that we wouldn't be able to get our wedding licence because of the blackout. We were getting married on the Wednesday and you have to get the licence 48 hours before."

The couple did manage to get their wedding licence on the Monday and the wedding, which went ahead on Wednesday, was "absolutely fantastic".