(ABOVE) A county vehicle patrols Kaohe Homestead Road after it was reopened following storm debris removal on Saturday.

NEWS BRIEFS

• 5,000 Hawaii Electric Light Company customers in Kamuela, Hamakūa and Ka‘u, as well as pockets in the Hilo, Hawi, and Puna are without power. HELCO says the areas from Lindsey Road to Āhualoa suffered substantial damage, and that customers in these areas may be without power for up to three days. (HELCO media release below).
• Parts of Waimea are without water tonight. The Department of Water Supply says that due to lack of electrical power in Pu’unani Subdivision and along Mana Road, water service is unavailable at this time. An emergency drinking water spigot is now available at the Waimea Baseball Park on Spencer Road. (Water Supply media release below).
• Three people were rescued off shore Honl’s Beach Park in Kailua-Kona on Saturday. The Hawaii County Fire Department says high surf was to blame.

22 Male from Dover, MA was swimming at Honl’s Beach Park when the current pulled him approximately 200 yards off shore. 2 surfers swam out to the victim w/surfboards to stabilize the pt. HFD personnel swam out to the trio and stayed with them until extrication was completed by C-2. All parties were airlifted to shore safely.Hawaii County Fire Department dispatch on Jan. 3

• Red Cross volunteers met with two families whose homes were destroyed in Pahoa and Mountain View and provided them with financial assistance for their immediate emergency needs of food, shelter and clothing.
• Kohala Mountain Road (Route 250) was opened to traffic shortly around 4:30 p.m.

MEDIA

Hawaii County Civil Defense message issues at 3 p.m. HST:

PRIMARY SOURCES

Hawai‘i Electric Light crews continue to work on safely restoring service as quickly as possible to customers who lost power as a result of severe weather conditions affecting Hawai‘i Island on Jan. 2 and 3. Windy conditions caused trees to fall and sever lines and utility poles.

About 5,000 customers in Kamuela, Hamakūa and Ka‘u, as well as pockets in the Hilo, Hawi, and Puna areas remain without power. Crews are working to restore power to customers in various areas throughout the night. Restoration efforts in some areas of the island were delayed to continued high winds that posed unsafe working conditions for crews.

Today’s priority was to stabilize the island’s transmission system which serves as the backbone of the electric grid and is essential to reliable service. All cross-island transmission lines were repaired and put back in service today except one section in the Pu‘ukapu area. Next, crews will focus on repairing the distribution line infrastructure and restoring pocket outages in neighborhoods.

The areas from Lindsey Road to Āhualoa suffered substantial damage. Customers in these areas are advised to prepare for an extended outage of up to three days. Employees continue to conduct assessments in the field, and actual restoration times will depend on the extent of the damage to infrastructure. Crews have been working around the clock since Friday to repair the damage caused by this winter storm.

Hawai‘i Electric Light asks customers who have not yet reported their power outage to call its trouble line at 969-6666. Due to the high call volume, customers may experience a longer wait time before speaking with a representative. The company sincerely apologizes for this inconvenience and thanks customers for their patience and understanding.

The company urges the community to be safe and treat downed power lines as energized and dangerous. Do not handle or move any fallen or damaged utility equipment. If someone is injured by a downed power line, do not approach them. Call 9-1-1 for assistance.

For more safety information, please see our “Handbook for Emergency Preparedness” which is available on our website www.hawaiielectriclight.com, at our business offices, or by phone at 969-0137. Hawaii Electric Light Company media release on Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m. HST

From the Hawaii County Department of Water Supply:

WATER EMERGENCY NOTICE

This is a Department of Water Supply emergency notice for Waimea customers located in the Pu’unani Subdivision and along Mana Road: due to lack of electrical power to this area, water service is unavailable at this time.

An emergency drinking water spigot is now available at the Waimea Baseball Park on Spencer Road near the restrooms for customer access while HELCO completes their electrical repairs.

All other customers in the Waimea area are advised to conserve water:
· Keep water use to an absolute minimum.
· Water should be used for essentials only (cooking, drinking and sanitation.)
· Do not wash cars or water lawns.
· Turn off or disconnect any devices or fixtures that regularly draw water. Such devices include automatic icemakers and irrigation systems.

Customers are requested to call the 24-hour service line at 961-8790 if a water problem occurs.

Your attention to these advisories is sincerely appreciated. Hawaii County Department of Water Supply on Jan. 3