Wind dying, but 'chill factor' here
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
Winds from the north, reportedly gusting 50 mph or more in some places, played havoc across the islands yesterday, yanking up roofing material, downing power lines, uprooting trees and painting the Maui landscape red.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
The winds were beginning to calm last night and were expected to be down to a more normal range — about 15 mph to 25 mph — by this morning, said Bob Farrell, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in Honolulu.
Patrick Wallace of Hawaiian Electric Co. prepared to haul away a downed utility pole on Kalaniana'ole Highway yesterday. Police closed both lanes to traffic after a pickup truck hit the fallen pole.
Partly cloudy skies and isolated showers were predicted for today, and those who wake up this morning without their blankets may shiver for a while en route to the coffee pot, compliments, Farrell said, of what those who live in areas less balmy than Hawai'i might call a wind chill factor.
The winds are expected to drop further by the weekend, Farrell said.
On the Big Island yesterday, winds gusting to 50 mph sent a large kiawe tree crashing onto the roof of a cabin at a homeless shelter at about 11 a.m., prompting the evacuation of 23 families from the Kawaihae Transitional Housing Program.
Joni N. Chun, acting executive director of Catholic Charities Hawai'i Community and Immigrant Services, said no one was in that portion of the double cabin at the time, but the impact shoved the structure three to four feet off its foundation.
The Red Cross opened an emergency shelter for the families at the Waimea Community Center. About 30 people went there, while the rest stayed with friends, Chun said.
On O'ahu, blowing rain snarled traffic through most of the morning on H-1 and H-2 freeways, and Pali, Likelike, Kamehameha, Kalaniana'ole and Farrington highways.
Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser
Brian Benton, a Kailua resident and boat captain for Dive O'ahu, said it took him 45 minutes to get his 15-passenger van halfway up the Pali from Castle Junction yesterday morning. At the top, he said, the winds blew the van side to side.
Maui Electric Co. workers cleared downed power lines after winds snapped poles and blew down a tree on Kilohana Drive in Kihei.
Firefighters yesterday responded to a number of calls regarding loose roofing materials throughout the day, said Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Kenison Tejada, but most were minor.
Meanwhile, Hawaiian Electric Co. crews were fighting through traffic as well, making their way from one power failure to another, restoring power in one area only to have the wind arch a line or down a pole in the next.
Power failures across O'ahu affected 1,400 customers in Manoa, 1,500 in Nanakuli, 2,100 in Makaha, 2,400 in Kaimuki and 1,300 in Waimanalo, said HECO spokesman Jose Dizon. Most of the failures lasted about an hour and a half, Dizon said.
About 7 p.m., trouble on a power line that crosses a ridge from parts of Kailua to 'Aina Haina and Wai'alae Iki left 3,500 people without power, Dizon said.
By 8 p.m., the flashlight inventory at the Foodland store in 'Aina Haina was two.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
HECO repair crews were not sure what caused a utility pole to fall early yesterday morning on Kalaniana'ole Highway near the Makapu'u Lookout, Dizon said.
Firefighters removed loose roofing material from a Pauoa Valley home yesterday as strong winds generated calls for help.
Police said the pole fell about 5:30 a.m. and at first did not block traffic, but then a pickup truck struck it, knocking it onto the roadway. Police closed both lanes of traffic for several hours.
Dizon said repairs, conducted by HECO and Verizon crews, took most of the day.
Power lines were also snapping on Maui yesterday morning.
Gusts measured by Maui Electric Co. at 68 mph raked the Kihei and Wailea areas on Maui's leeward coast, snapping utility poles on Kilohana Drive, South Kihei Road and Pi'ilani Highway in Kihei and causing power failures affecting approximately 500 customers around 11:30 a.m.
By midday, the the rain was clearing but clouds of red dirt obliterated much of the scenery.
Safety concerns caused by the wind led Maui County to close the three Kama'ole Beach parks and Kalama Park in Kihei. In Lahaina, several boats broke loose from their moorings near Mala Wharf.
Winds also forced the closure of Kawaihae Harbor on the Big Island at 12:15 p.m., after a particularly strong gust toppled a stack of empty shipping containers.
There were no injuries in the Big Island harbor incident, and the harbor is expected to reopen today, said Robert Asing, harbors enforcement officer. There was no need to divert any shipping.
On Kaua'i, lifeguards closed North Kaua'i beaches and the waters off the Polihale State Park on the West Side because of storm surf 15 feet to 25 feet high.
Off Kane'ohe Bay on O'ahu, Marines assigned to Marine Corps Base Hawai'i Waterfront Operations rescued three fishermen about 8:30 a.m. after a boat overturned in Sampan Channel.
The cause of the accident was under investigation but the Marines noted that the Coast Guard had posted a small boat advisory warning of swells of more than 25 feet.
Staff writers Kevin Dayton, Christie Wilson, Jan TenBruggencate, Mike Gordon and Peter Boylan contributed to this report.
