Question: Please briefly describe the Honolulu Board of Water Supply’s emergency procedures to keep water pumping for firefighters during a Public Safety Power Shutoff. For example, does BWS have backup generators in place at all times? Whatever the process is, please explain briefly.
Answer: “The Board of Water Supply has worked very closely with the Department of Emergency Management, other City and State agencies, including the Honolulu Fire Department and Hawaiian Electric, to develop a response plan. As part of this plan, HECO will notify the BWS if the conditions are looking as if a Public Safety Power Shutoff may be called for the Leeward coast of Oahu. We will fill our reservoirs and ensure our system is in good working order. We have some generators deployed at specific well locations in the event a PSPS is called by HECO and power is shut off. We ask that all residents in this area ensure that they are prepared and store water for at least five days. During the PSPS, we ask all customers to conserve water. Please note that ultimately water availability will depend on the damage from the fires and where it spreads. The Department of Emergency Management for the City would be the lead in the event of a Public Safety Power Shut Off event,” Kathleen M. Elliott, BWS spokesperson, said Monday evening in an email.
As reported in Tuesday’s column, 808ne.ws/4gTCrEp, President Joe Biden said during a briefing about the Los Angeles County conflagration that intentional power outages there to prevent new fires from sparking ultimately hindered firefighters because pumping stations need power to keep water flowing to fire hydrants.
Biden’s remarks prompted readers to ask whether the same thing could happen in Hawaii, where Hawaiian Electric has a Public Safety Power Shutoff plan for extremely windy, dry weather, to prevent falling power lines or other utility infrastructure from starting a wildfire. HECO, which began its program after the August 2023 Lahaina firestorm, addressed the questions in Tuesday’s column while also referring us to BWS for more information, which we’ve published today.
On its website, heco.com, Hawaiian Electric says it would call a Public Safety Power Shutoff only as a last resort and that “we’ll do our best to provide advance notice, but if conditions are suddenly hazardous we may have to shut off your power with little or no notice.”
Q: In 2024 it was reported that Oahu’s red-light traffic cams would enforce speeding, too. Is that happening?
A: Not yet. A state law authorizing the expanded enforcement was approved in 2024, but the timeline on ticketing speeders caught on camera is still is being finalized, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation said Tuesday. Act 112 (808ne.ws/3Cc40cX) authorized the use against speeders of traffic cameras already installed at 10 Oahu intersections to catch vehicles running red lights. The law requires a “comprehensive informational and educational campaign” at least 60 days before automated enforcement of speeding begins, so we expect to hear more from DOT on this topic soon.
Q: Does FEMA still need places to put trailers on Maui?
A: No, the Federal Emergency Management Agency says it has received “sufficient interest” from property owners willing to lease land where fire survivors can live in modular units while permanent housing is rebuilt.
Q: So many people around the world helped Maui folks when Lahaina burned. I hope they are doing the same for people in California. Even though L.A. is a big city, they still need help.
A: It appears so, from the outpouring on the fundraising platform GoFundMe, which has verified campaigns assisting victims of the L.A. fires. Learn more at gofundme.com.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
