Hawaii residents and visitors trying to obtain information about relatives and friends in Japan have had some limited direct contact, though information has been sketchy given the devastation delivered by the earthquake and tidal wave.

“Information is very limited,” said deputy counsel general Hajime Kido at the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu.

The Consulate General has posted some information on the Japanese-language version of its website, including statements from Hawaii government officials. The site is www.honolulu.us.emb-japan.go.jp/index_j.htm.

The Consulate also has passed on information in Japanese to radio station KZOO, AM 1210, and through the Nippon Golden Network, or NGN, on Oceanic cable TV shown in many Hawaii hotels.

The Consulate is also referring people to the website of Japan’s prime minister, www.kantei.go.jp.

For people interested in contributing aid to Japan, Kido said the International Red Cross would be an appropriate source.

Thirteen incoming flights from Japan were canceled this morning, said state transportation spokesman Dan Meisenzahl. There were 17 canceled departures out of Honolulu International Airport, 14 to Japan and one to Los Angeles.

Hawaii residents and visitors with family and friends in tsunami-ravaged areas of Japan may be able to determine if family members are in good condition by using the “Safe and Well” page on the American Red Cross website, according to the Hawaii Chapter of the Red Cross.

People anywhere wanting to let family members know of their condition and people wanting to search for loved ones following a disaster can navigate to www.redcross.org/safeandwell and follow the appropriate links.

For those without access to computers, calls to a toll-free phone number, 1-800-733-2767, will be answered by a Red Cross operator who will help conduct a search or enter a caller’s name into the Safe and Well registry.