Big Isle storm cuts power, disrupts schools, closes roads
Advertiser Staff
HILO, Hawai'i — The Big Island was drenched yesterday by a thunderstorm that closed a dozen private schools, disrupted phone and electrical service, and flooded roads.
Tim Wright • Special to The Advertiser
National Weather Service personnel at the Hilo Airport reported 7.5 inches of rain during a 16-hour period that ended at 11 a.m. yesterday.
Fred Mata and Masako Uehara wait for a bus on a wet Hilo morning. More than 7 inches of rain fell in 16 hours.
Public schools remained open, but several charter and Hawaiian language schools, as well as Kamehameha Schools campuses in Keaukaha and in Kea'au, were closed for the day. The Hawai'i Island Adult Care Center at Rainbow Falls also was closed. All were expected to reopen today. Utility officials said they were too busy restoring service to provide details about outages.
"We have pockets of interruptions around the island," said Jay Ignacio of Hawai'i Electric Light Co.
The storm began around midnight and persisted through dawn with loud claps of thunder. From Waimea to Puna, a number of subdivision streets were closed because of flooding, while a landslide closed one lane of Hawai'i Belt Road at Laupahoehoe Gulch. On Ali'i Drive in Kailua, trees fell onto power lines.
The county closed Honoli'i Beach Park north of Hilo because of floodwaters entering the surfing area.
The rain came from a band of moisture that stretched east to west, weather service lead forecast Bob Farrell said. It was moving south at roughly 10 mph. Storm cells within it were moving west at 30 mph, dumping rain along the way.
Strong winds were forecast for West Hawai'i last night. Trade winds were expected to be 15 to 35 mph in South Kohala, with gusts to 60 mph, the National Weather Service said. Sunny skies and calmer winds were expected today.
Only isolated showers were expected today in the Hilo area.
