Posted at 12:09 p.m., Wednesday, March 15, 2006
250 stranded Kilauea residents attend town hall meeting
Advertiser Staff
Gov. Linda Lingle spent almost half an hour this morning fielding questions and an occasional terse comment from more than 250 Kilauea residents trapped on the North Shore of Kaua'i the morning after a reservoir breach washed out Kuhio Highway in both directions.State officials hope to open a single, contra-flow lane on Kuhio Highway by 3 p.m. today, according to Brennan Morioka, state deputy director of transportation.
Before the town hall meeting in the Kilauea Neighborhood Center, Lingle took an hour-long air tour of the affected areas in a Hawai'i Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter.
After the flight and her town hall meeting, Lingle said at Princeville Airport that, "People were so understanding of the situation. Our priority right now is lowering the level of Morita Dam, opening the roadway and searching for survivors."
Lingle also emphasized that anyone who has a private dam located on their property needs to know that they are responsible for repairing and maintaining it.
