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Hawaii News

Powerful gusts and high surf wreak havoc across the state

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Video by Dan Nakaso
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and city officials spoke today about high winds and dangerous surf across the state. They asked the public to remain vigilant and indoors. Read more at www.staradvertiser.com
2/9
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BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Police, fire and city parks department personnel Sunday responded to a fallen 70-foot kiawe tree in Kapiolani Park just east of the Dillingham Fountain which blocked Waikiki-bound lanes of Kalakaua Avenue.

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3/9
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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM

Rough surf pounded Waimea Bay on Sunday morning due to the low-pressure storm system hitting the isles.

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4/9
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JOEL GUY / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER

Above, on Kauai a tree slammed at least one vehicle Sunday at Hanalei Pinetrees Beach due to the high winds.

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5/9
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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM

Papa Ole’s in Hauula packed up its kitchen after a power outage Sunday that closed all businesses in the Hauula Kai Shopping Center.

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BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Mayor Kirk Caldwell held a press conference Sunday in the City Emergency Operations Center in the basement of the Frank Fasi Municipal Building. Behind him are Ocean Safety Capt. Kurt Lager, HPD Capt. Thomas Santos, city Emergency Management Director Hirokazu Toiya and HFD Capt. Stan Kimura.

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7/9
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BRYAN BERKOWITZ / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER

Above, at Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area on Maui, 36-degree weather had residents flocking to see snow, the first sighting for Emilio Nunoz, Stacy Munoz and Jane Nguyen.

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8/9
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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM

Above, Denaye Johnson ran for cover Sunday as gusts and rain whipped through Ehukai Beach Park.

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9/9
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BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Firefighters remove roofing material at a Hilo Place residence in Wilhelmina Rise after reports of a blown roof.

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Strong winds and high surf are expected to begin diminishing today following a wild weekend that saw thousands without power, at least five injured on Oahu, two birds freed from the Honolulu Zoo by flying debris and snow on Maui, possibly at the lowest elevation ever recorded in the state.

By Sunday afternoon Hono­lulu firefighters had responded to 132 total calls today from Midnight till 9:30 p.m. 78 Blown roofs, 31 Downed trees, 23 Downed powerlines said Honolulu Fire Capt. Stan Kimura. The Honolulu Fire Department said it responded to 112 wind-­related calls from across the island between midnight and 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

“We’ve had reports of trees down, power outages, traffic signals malfunctioning,” Mayor Kirk Caldwell told reporters at the city’s underground Emergency Operations Center. “It’s all hands on deck.”

Caldwell asked homeowners to do their part by delaying putting out today’s trash or recycling bins until as late as possible, so they don’t become airborne.

Parks, highways and intersections were closed across the state Sunday, and city campsites are scheduled to remain closed on Oahu today.

The National Weather Service said Hawaii should expect “large, destructive surf, locally damaging winds, and periods of squally showers across most of the state.”

A high-wind warning remained in effect until 6 a.m. today, meaning that winds are expected to be at least 40 mph with gusts over 60 mph.

The National Weather Service said more “unsettled weather” could last until midweek, giving way to typical tradewind patterns toward the week’s end.

City officials Sunday afternoon continued to warn people to stay away from parts of the North Shore and west side of the island because a “massive storm surf is washing over the road on the North Shore and west side at certain beach area locations.”

Maui County firefighters were called to free a woman stuck in an elevator during a power outage in South Maui and responded to a report of a large tree that fell on a home in Kihei, causing major damage. Downed power lines in Haliimaile also temporarily blocked roads.

A 27-foot sailboat broke free from its mooring at Lahaina Small Boat Harbor and washed onto rocks on Front Street, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and portable toilets blew over at Waianae Small Boat Harbor. No other damage was reported at state small-boat harbors as of Sunday evening.

DLNR also noted that snow fell for the first time at a state park. Polipoli Spring State Recreation Area was blanketed in snow. DLNR officials said it could mark the lowest elevation snowfall has ever been recorded in the state. Polipoli is at an elevation of 6,200 feet.

Hilo’s Bayfront Highway was among the frequently used roads that were closed Sunday because of high surf — and state Department of Transportation officials plan to keep it closed through Wednesday.

On Kauai, downed trees and malfunctioning traffic signals due to power outages interrupted traffic. All north- and west-facing beach parks, from Kekaha to Anahola, remained closed until further notice.

Caldwell said as many as 30,000 people on Oahu may have lost power Sunday.

Papa Ole’s Kitchen in the Hauula Kai Shopping Center was enjoying a packed Sunday lunch crowd when the power suddenly cut out at 1:45 p.m.

With a seating capacity of 25 people inside and more tables outside, the restaurant suddenly had to stop cooking its popular dishes of ribs, shrimp and garlic chicken because it had no kitchen ventilation.

“We were real busy at the time,” said cashier Ronell Maiava. Sunday “is our busiest day with the locals and the tourists. We were serving people right until the lights went out. Now it’s cold and it’s pouring rain.”

For the most part, people appeared to heed officials’ warnings to stay away from the blown-out North Shore as wind gusts of up to 48 mph pelted Daniel K. Inouye International Airport and whipped the Leeward side of Oahu with 55 mph wind gusts.

But at least five people who did venture out were injured, according to Shayne Enright, spokeswoman for the city Emergency Services Department:

>> At 10:05 a.m. a 33-year-old man driving a truck on Kunia Road was hit by a falling telephone pole, leaving the driver with serious injuries.

>> At 12:11 p.m. on Kalia Road in Waikiki, a 29-year-old pedestrian was taken in serious condition to a trauma center after a portion of a palm tree fell and hit him on the head.

>> At 12:37 p.m. a 51-year-old woman was hit by a branch of a falling tree on Kuhio Avenue in Waikiki. The woman suffered minor injuries.

>> At 1:25 p.m. a 91-year-old woman was knocked to the ground by wind on Merchant Street. She was taken in stable condition, with minor injuries, to an emergency room.

>> At 3:30 p.m. a female bicycle rider in her 40s was knocked over by wind. The bicycle lacerated her leg, and she was taken in stable condition to an emergency room.

The Honolulu Zoo also closed Sunday because of the risk of falling branches and flying debris that crashed onto an exhibit that contained two ground hornbill birds and led to their escape.

One was last seen heading toward the Ala Moana area and the other toward Kapiolani Boulevard.

Only one ground hornbill initially was thought to have escaped, but Caldwell told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that its companion also was on the loose.

He initially described the escaped bird as “kind of a large bird, black, not very pretty-looking, in my mind.”

It has red skin on its throat and head and is “bigger than a chicken. It walks on the ground.”

Anyone who sees either bird should call 911.

Correction: >> Maui Electric Co. said there were scattered power outages related to the weekend storm but none affected the entire island of Maui. Also, Rod Antone is a former Maui County spokesman. An earlier version of this story and Monday’s print edition cited Antone’s Instagram account as saying there was an islandwide outage and misidentified him as a current county spokesman.
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