What you need to know about the kona low Monday on Big Island: Residents still without power, brown water advisory for west shores

Editor’s note: This page will be continuously updated throughout the day.

Last night, power was restored to about 2,900 customers in Volcano Village, Kalapana, Na‘alehu, and Kaloko Mauka, leaving about 10,800 customers without power, mostly in Puna and North Kona.

Today, crews will be working in Kea‘au, Kurtistown, Mountain View, Volcano, South Point, and North and South Kona. Damage assessment teams will be working in lower Puna. Yesterday, 30 damaged or broken poles were identified and three transmission lines were repaired.

The State of Hawaii Department of Health has also issued a brown water advisory for all beaches in the South Kohala and North Kona districts of Hawaiʻi Island.

The County of Hawaiʻi has closed all county beach parks in South Kohala and North Kona districts, which includes Spencer Beach Park to Kahalu`u Beach Park.

For more information, visit the County of Hawaii Hazard Impact Map.

The County of Hawaiʻi has returned to normal operations today, but the public should continue to exercise caution due to ongoing hazards from the Kona low storm.

“While peak storm impacts have passed, we are not out of the woods yet, so please continue to exercise caution,” said Mayor Kimo Alameda. “I want to give a special mahalo to our first responders and road crews who are working hard to keep our residents safe. Throughout this storm, our community has stepped up in a big way, and the support from our State, National Guard, and nonprofit partners has been critical to protecting life and property.”

Mayor Alameda added, “As we move toward the cleanup and recovery phase, be aware of hazards that may still be present, including downed power lines.”

Residents looking to dispose of green waste created by the storm may use the East Hawaiʻi Organics Facility in Hilo, West Hawaiʻi Organics Facility at Puʻuanahulu or the following County transfer stations: Keaʻau, Waiʻōhinu, Keʻei, Kealakehe, Waimea, Volcano and Pāhoa. All solid waste facilities return to normal operations on Monday.

Bus services also will return to normal operations on Monday. Park facilities will reopen following the completion of damage assessments.

As the Kona low storm moves away from Hawai‘i, residents may be eager to start clean-up. Use caution to protect against continuing hazards and document the damage. Residents should contact their insurance agent and document damaged property with photos before beginning cleanup.

The reports will be used to assess impacts, prioritize response efforts and access recovery resources. If you are unable to fill out forms online, call Civil Defense at (808) 935-0031. Residents and businesses impacted by the storm may submit damage reports to Civil Defense at the following links:

• Residential damage reports
• Commercial damage reports

To report agricultural damage, please contact the USDA Farm Service Agency at (808) 933-8381 Ext. 2.

The Hawaiʻi National Guard will continue to work with the counties and the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency for any future requests for assistance.

On Saturday, the Hawaiʻi Fire Department personnel rescued 18 residents from flooded homes and stranded vehicles.

Late Saturday evening, the shelter at Nāʻālehu Community Center was relocated to Nāʻālehu Elementary School due to a flood channel overflowing. The Hawaiʻi Fire Department and Hawaiʻi Police Department personnel conducted voluntary evacuations of nearby residents.

Twenty-four civilians, including the six shelter occupants, were assisted by Hawaiʻi National Guard’s high-water vehicles.

As of 3 p.m. today, the Hawai‘i National Guard has as activated about 90 soldiers and airman to support all counties during the recent kona low storm.

Road closures

• Kaʻalāiki Road (Cane Haul Road) between Pāhala and Nā‘ālehu closed in both directions due to flooding
• Hāʻao Springs Road/Young Road in Waiʻōhinu is closed in both directions due to flooding
• Highway 11 near mile marker 111.5 in Captain Cook is closed in one direction due to water main break
• Highway 11 near mile markers 30 and 31 in Hāmākua is closed in both directions due to debris in the road

Power outages

About 10,800 Hawaiian Electric customers on the Big Island were still without power as of 9 a.m. Monday, mostly in Puna and North Kona.

Overnight and early this morning, Hawaiian Electric restored about half of the customers who were without power last night across Oʻahu, Maui County and Hawaiʻi Island. Around 15,500 customers still remain without power across the utility’s three counties.

Hawaiian Electric is not slowing its efforts and has nearly 350 crewmembers in the field working as quickly and safely as possible to complete inspections and make repairs.

The outage numbers above represent a snapshot in time and are subject to change as stated above. Customers can view current outages and report outages on the outage map at hawaiianelectric.com.

Water main break

Department of Water Supply customers in the Konawaena and Nāpōʻopoʻo areas are without water as crews work to repair a water main break in South Kona.

A Department of Water Supply water tanker is stationed on the makai side of the Kealakekua Ranch Center for public use during the interruption.

Water restriction

Water customers in North and South Kona, North Kohala, Pāhoa and Mountain View are asked to restrict water use to essential needs — and everyone on the island to conserve water — only because of possible prolonged power outages.

The department relies on Hawaiian Electric to power its wells and booster pumps for water distribution, an extended power outage could deplete portions of the department’s water systems and leave customers with low pressure or no water at all.

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park could reopen some areas today (Monday, March 16) but there is no timeline.

Overnight guests of Kilauea Military Camp and Volcano House may enter the park and shelter in place.

Stay informed

Hawaiʻi County will provide updates as conditions evolve. Residents can receive emergency notifications by signing up for Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense alerts.

View the Hawaiʻi County Hazard Impact Map for additional weather-related information.

Stay updated about weather by visiting the Big Island Now weather page and the National Weather Service Honolulu forecast office website.