Calmer weather expected this week
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
Mother Nature is expected to take a breather for at least most of this week, giving Hawai'i residents a chance to mop up from yet another of her potent reminders that the rainy season is upon us.
"As of this point, we're not expecting much more," Norman Hui, forecaster for the National Weather Service in Honolulu, said yesterday. "There'll be some showers, but nothing like we've seen in the last few days."
Trade winds in the 10- to 25-mph range will return by Thursday, he said, accompanied by the usual scattered and mauka showers. Winds will be variable until then, coming mostly from the south.
Meanwhile, residents and government officials are assessing the damage caused by the high winds, heavy rains and high surf that wreaked havoc on parts of the state Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Firefighters in the air, on the ground and in the water searched the North Shore coastline on O'ahu throughout yesterday for a 20-year-old Schofield Barracks soldier who was swept out to sea by a large wave that struck Waimea Bay around midnight Friday.
The search for the woman is expected to continue at first light today.
Board of Water Supply technicians repaired damaged pumping equipment at the Waialua Wells facility during the weekend. The facility is the sole source of drinking water for Waialua, Hale'iwa and Pupukea.
By yesterday afternoon water was flowing again and water pressure was making its way back to normal, officials said.
Road crews on Likelike Highway repaired a 20-foot deep sinkhole caused by heavy rains that ravaged Kalihi Valley. They finished about 6 p.m. yesterday.
"Seventeen hours of hard work," said state Transportation Director Rod Haraga, "and the guys did it."
Residents of Kalihi Valley below the sinkhole were still cleaning up from the mess caused when a wall of mud and water rushed down onto homes on Ahuahu Place, filling properties with muck and rolling cars off the street. About a dozen homes were affected.
Gov. Linda Lingle toured the damage yesterday.
"It's heartbreaking for people," she said. "We care about this. I'm concerned about them and their homes and their safety."
Using information collected by traveling teams of Red Cross workers, state officials are assessing the damage across the state and meeting to determine what can be done to assist homeowners, said Ed Teixeira, vice director of civil defense for the state.
In addition to the Kalihi Valley damage, he said, they are particularly concerned about a group of homes on the Big Island.
The homes, near Huanui Road on the Kona side, appear to have been hit by tornado-force winds, he said.
Teixeira said he hoped residents would continue to be vigilant about storm-proofing.
"The wet season continues through March 31," he said. "So we're not out of the woods yet."
Reach Karen Blakeman at 535-2430 or kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.
