UPDATE: Avnet Employees Rocked By Hawaiian Earthquake

An Avnet spokeswoman said there were some minor injuries but no one was seriously hurt as a result of the quake, which measured 6.7 on the Richter scale and caused more than $40 million in damage on the main island of Hawaii.

The Avnet group had to seek higher ground away from the Fairmont Orchid oceanside resort in Kohala Coast because of concern that the quake could trigger a tsunami. That didn't occur, and the group was allowed to return to the hotel, which had no structural damage but was without power and gas as of late yesterday.

Among the Avnet executives on hand were Fred Cuen, president of Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, plus the heads of Avnet's several business units: Denny O'Connell, Jeff Bawol, Rick Alvarez, Pat Cathey and George Condon.

The 6.7 quake was followed by a 6.0 shock and several smaller tremors that continued into Tuesday morning.

Cuen said he was drinking coffee and about to read e-mail in his room when the 6.7 quake struck Sunday morning.

"It's almost like somebody grabbed you by the shoulders and was shaking you," he told CRN Tuesday via cell phone.

As the quake shook, a rack of about 50 drinking glasses in Cuen's room fell to the ground, and a piano moved a couple of inches to the right, he said.

"Eight glasses survived. This thing was throwing the building around in a big way. My wife comes out and says, 'I think we should get out here.' That's when the next one hit. It was a real mover, too," Cuen said.

No solution providers were at the Excalibur event, which Avnet has held in Hawaii for more than 15 years, with the exception of Bermuda last year. The event rewards the distributor's top-performing employees.

Power returned Monday afternoon, Cuen said.

"We're rolling with the punches. We're making good with what's available. I'm really proud of our team, the hotel, our security team. It's a stressful time. But everyone stayed calm and did things to make sure we're safe," he said. "The hotel set up a barbecue, making anything and everything to feed everybody."

About 50 Avnet associates scheduled to arrive later on Sunday didn't arrive because flights were canceled.

"If you look at the map on the U.S. Geological [Survey] Web site, it looks like the 6.7 was right on top of the hotel," Cuen said. "The good news is we're structurally sound. Everybody is safe. An event like this brings people close together. The one comment you hear is if we have a situation, you couldn't pick a better place than Hawaii."