honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, December 8, 2007

Maui crews focus on clearing, repairing waterlines

Advertiser Staff

WAILUKU, Maui — Maui County officials yesterday assessed the damage caused by this week's storm while still dealing with its aftermath.

No injuries were reported but at least five Kula homes suffered major damage from raging rivers, mudslides and flooding.

Mayor Charmaine Tavares said she plans to apply for state and federal aid to offset the county's costs in responding to the disaster.

Power was restored yesterday to 99 percent of the island, with outages in isolated areas of upper Kula and East Maui including Hana and Nahiku, according to MECO spokeswoman Kaui Awai-Dickson.

Wind and falling trees early Wednesday felled a total of 23 utility poles and brought down numerous transmission and distribution lines. More than 23,000 residents in Kula and South Maui were without power for more than day.

Water is now the biggest problem facing the county. Crews yesterday were busy making major waterline repairs in three locations in Kula, mauka of the Kekaulike-Kula Highway junction. The areas are treacherous and are subject to continued washouts, said county spokeswoman Mahina Martin.

While repairs are being made, residents needing water may bring containers to fill at emergency water tankers at five locations.

In West Maui, additional rainfall caused more debris and rocks to block the water intake at the Lahaina Water Treatment Plant, Martin said, and weather conditions continue to restrict access to equipment.

The Department of Water Supply is manually clearing the intake as weather permits, she said. Thursday night, a water department crew repaired the booster pump serving Wailuku Heights, and service also has been restored to Ha'iku, Kihei and Maui Meadows.

However, the county is urging customers in Maui Meadows, Kula, Kihei and West Maui to continue conserving water.

Public works crews have been addressing drainage problems, clearing debris, fallen trees, mud and rocks from streets, and repairing numerous large potholes on Maui, Moloka'i and Lana'i, Martin said.

Kula Highway was reopened late Thursday, after being cleared of water, mud and debris that swept down from the Polipoli area and flowed into the Waiohuli Hawaiian Homestead, causing extensive damage to residences and roads.

The county's Waiehu Golf Course is closed, and all but three beach parks and three public swimming pools remain shut down. The county also suspended use of soggy playing fields.

Martin said the Department of Parks and Recreation will reopen parks on a case-by-case basis as weather conditions allow.

The road at Haleakala National Park was reopened yesterday, the park announced at 8 p.m. Road crews cleared rocks and debris from the road to the summit. But the park remained without power and facilities were closed. Telephones were not working.

High winds and rain are expected at the summit through the weekend. Visibility was less than 20 feet.

The park headquarters visitor center was closed, but restrooms there were open. At the summit, the visitor center and restrooms were closed, as was the Hosmer Grove Campground.

The winds estimated at 120 mph or more damaged at least two buildings at the Haleakala Observatories at the summit.

A small unoccupied building lost its roof, and the doors to a storage building were blown off, said Jeff Kuhn, associate director for Maui for the University of Hawai'i's Institute for Astronomy.

He said poor weather and a power outage has prevented officials from checking for additional damage.

"This is the biggest storm I've ever seen, and I've been here 10 years," Kuhn said.