Question: What happens to those of us with reservations for driver’s license renewal whose appointments have been canceled by the city because of the hurricane? Will we be given priority in rescheduling? September is already booked!

Answer: Oahu’s municipal government decided Wednesday to keep its non­emergency workers home Thursday and today due to Hurricane Lane, which meant that driver’s license and state ID appointments scheduled for those days were canceled.

Even with the storm looming, Kokua Line heard from people concerned about renewing their driver’s licenses, which expire within a few weeks (or days, in the worst cases) of their now-canceled appointments.

People who lost their standard renewal appointments must reschedule on their own. “Unfortunately, yes, those with appointments on Thursday or Friday will need to reschedule. We will be looking for extra hours to offer but have not determined that at this time,” Sheri Kajiwara, director of the city’s Department of Customer Services, said Wednesday, shortly after the city announced that nonessential employees would be staying home.

(Standard license renewals do not require a road test. The situation is different for driver’s license applicants who had scheduled a road test and paid a deposit. DCS will contact them to reschedule, according to a city news release.)

For standard renewals, use the license.honolulu.gov online reservation system to reschedule. An appointment can be made from any internet-capable computer or device; the city recently tweaked the system so that texting capability is not required. Once on the site, click on the green Appointments tab and follow the directions.

Try first at one of Oahu’s five driver licensing centers, rather than at a satellite city hall. The Kapalama, Wahiawa, Kapolei, Koolau and Waianae driver licensing centers offer many more appointments per day for driver licensing than do the satellite city halls, which devote most of their time to other transactions. The same is true if you plan to walk in.

Check bit.ly/2wmIYCr for driver licensing center locations.

We’ll also include a plea to people using the online reservation system: Don’t make multiple appointments, and do show up for the appointment you need. The no-show rate is about 30 percent, or 109 appointments a day.

The city responded to demand and made it easier for people to make appointments online (by eliminating the requirement for a text- capable cellphone to verify the appointment), but that also means those folks won’t get a reminder message. Plus, it’s easier for people to make multiple appointments.

If you don’t use a smartphone to make your appointment, be sure to write down the date, time and location and any other information provided by the city so that you can remind yourself. Anyone who has made multiple reservations for the same service: Please enter the system and cancel all but the one appointment you need.

Q: Can you also use the reservation system for a state ID?

A: Yes. Appointments are not limited to driver licensing. Be sure the location at which you seek an appointment offers the service you need.

Mahalo

On Aug. 11 I left my purse in the women’s restroom at Bed, Bath & Beyond in Ward Centre. After realizing what I had done, I raced back with my friend Georgette and discovered it gone. After a few frantic minutes that seemed like hours, the manager paged the salesclerk and found out that someone had just turned it in. It was intact. I would like to thank the honest person who found it and also my friend Georgette, who ran around looking for it. Aloha still exists. — Gratefully, a senior citizen

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.