NEWS BRIEFS

• Power outages continue for residents of Puna following this weekend’s high winds. As of 4:00 p.m. Sunday, an estimated 1,100 customers were without power in portions of Ainaloa, Hawaiian Beaches, Nanawale, Leilani Estates, Lanipuna, and Hawaiian Acres. Customers in Nanawale, Leilani Estates, and Lanipuna may have to wait until Wednesday to have power restored, HELCO projects.
• Pohoiki Road will be closed to local traffic only, to allow utility crews to repair lines and poles. All highways are open but there may still be downed trees and poles in subdivisions.

CIVIL DEFENSE MESSAGE

This alert was issued at 8:30 a.m.

PRIMARY SOURCE

From the Hawaii Electric Light Company:

HILO, February 17, 2015 (11:00 a.m.) – Hawai‘i Electric Light crews continue to make progress on restoring power to areas impacted by high winds.

Last night, crews from Hilo, Kona and Waimea restored power to approximately 800 customers in portions of Ainaloa, Hawaiian Beaches, Nānāwale, Leilani Estates, Lanipuna, and Hawaiian Acres.

As of 9:00 a.m., an estimated 300 customers remain without power. Today, crews expect to make progress in portions of Nānāwale, Leilani Estates, and a few pocket outages in the Puna area. Electric service for customers in these areas is expected to be restored by tomorrow.

Hawai‘i Electric Light reminds 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. To report a downed power line or outage, please call 969-6666.HELCO media release on Feb. 17