(BIVN) – Progress continues to made on the restoration of water and power service on Hawaiʻi island following the widespread damage from Hurricane Lala.
As of Friday morning, fewer than 400 customers remained without power on Hawaiʻi Island. Hawaiian Electric says crews restored power to about 1,030 customers Thursday, including those in Hawaiian Paradise Park.
“Approximately 99.4% of impacted customers on Hawaiʻi Island have been restored since Hurricane Lala battered the state with high winds and heavy rainfall,” the company stated in a news release. “Hawaiian Electric remains committed to restoring power to the remaining customers.”
Crews were scheduled to be working today in the Hāmākua, North and South Kohala, North and South Hilo, Puna, North and South Kona and Kaʻū areas. “Most will be focused on going neighborhood by neighborhood, checking for individual service line outages as well as identifying and completing repairs to bring more customers back online,” Hawaiian Electric stated.
“Several crews will also be working to complete the repairs on a transmission line that serves the Kaʻū district and will also begin installing more than a dozen poles needed to help restore power to Wood Valley,” the company stated.
The Hawaiʻi County Department of Water Supply also provided this update on two Kaʻū water systems as of Friday, at 3 p.m. HST:
Nāʻālehu – Waiohinu (includes Discovery Harbor, Mark Twain Subdivision, Green Sands Subdivision, and South Point Road areas):
- DWS continues to incrementally expand water service areas to Nāʻālehu, Waiohinu, Discovery Harbor, Mark Twain Subdivision, Green Sands Subdivision, and South Point Road areas.
- DWS is filling water into Discovery Harbor (DH) Off-site, DH #3, and DH #4, and South Point Road tanks.
- As water tanks are refilled, crews will start to fill the waterlines downstream of the tank and repair waterline leaks and breaks as they are found.
- Customers may see fire hydrants open in certain areas of the water systems. This is to force air out of the waterlines and allow water to take its place. If air remains locked in the waterlines, it will cause future water service issues to customers.
- As tanks are filled, water service to customers’ taps will slowly be restored.
- Please limit use to essential needs only and refrain from wasting water.
- DWS’ precautionary boil water notice remains in effect for all DWS customers, in Nāʻālehu, Waiohinu, Discovery Harbor, Mark Twain Subdivision, Green Sands Subdivision, and South Point Road areas, until further notice.
- Potable water tankers are located across from Nāʻālehu Ace Hardware and at the Discovery Harbor Clubhouse for public use. Please use water for Essential Uses only.
Pāhala:
- Spigots are available on the fire hydrant fronting Kau Hospital for Punaluu residents. Please use water for Essential Uses only.
- A 2-inch outlet is available from the fire hydrant fronting Kau Hospital for ranchers to fill water tankers.
The Hawaiian Electric company added this :
Customers who experienced major flooding and have not had their power restored must ensure their main circuit breaker is off and contact an electrician to confirm their system is safe to re-energize once power is restored. If you have photovoltaic panels and battery energy storage systems installed on your home or business, consult your licensed solar contractor regarding normal and emergency operation procedures for your system.
