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The Honolulu Advertiser

Updated at 5:45 p.m., Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Overnight blackouts expected for some Kauai areas

Advertiser Staff

Kauai police and firefighters were able to safely extricate a woman from her car after a fallen tree had trapped her inside the vehicle earlier today.

Kauai County spokeswoman Mary Daubert said the fallout from the early-morning storm, which did most of its damage to Kauai last night before moving to O'ahu, included three homes with minor wind damage (one roof, two homes with blown-out windows), several downed trees on roads, fallen power lines and one person who was rescued from his vehicle uninjured after a utility pole fell on it.

Anne Barnes, spokeswoman for Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, said this afternoon that it is likely there will be multiple areas on Kauai without power tonight.

"We have pockets of outages from Haena to Kokee," Barnes said. "All of them almost exclusively because of debris falling on lines. Our guys have been working overnight and we have some contractors as well, but there will be some outages. We're lucky to live Kauai, though. Everybody has been very patient with us."

Barnes said the pockets of outages are in Haena, Wainiha, Hanalei, Princeville, Kilauea, Kapaa, Wailua Houselots, Wailua Homesteads, Olehena, Hanamaulu, Lihue, Omao. Lawai, Kalaheo, Waimea, Kekaha and Kokee.

She's not sure which areas will be without power or how many customers have been affected, but added that crews are continuing to work overnight to restore all power.

Also on Kauai, the Department of Water is asking the public to reduce their water usage. According to officials, the power outages caused by the strong winds resulted in a temporary shut-down of a number of water pumps and a drop of water levels in storage tanks.

Although power is being restored around the island, some of the pumps in remote areas are still not back online.

Suggested water conservation practices include: refraining from car washing and doing laundry; reducing outdoor irrigation; and using water wisely indoors and outdoors.

For more information, please call the Department of Water at 245-5455, Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or Police Dispatch at 241-1711 after business hours.