What you need to know about Hurricane Lala recovery: About 38,250 customers on the Big Island remained without power as of Monday night
Find the update from Hawaiian Electric and a lot more about recovery efforts, facilities and other county, state and school closures, plus more right here.
6 hours ago
Editor’s Note: Information will be regularly updated.
Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green announced during a press conference Monday afternoon in Hilo about the recovery from Hurricane Lala that all public schools, as well as all county and state offices on the Big island, will be closed Tuesday.
This is because of a lack of power still in many areas and also to enable public works and utility crews to work more effectively to clear roads and restore power.
Here is what else you need to know on the Big Island.
Public schools
All Hawaiʻi State Department of Education schools and public charter schools will be closed Monday.
The additional closure will allow time to complete campus safety assessments, restore utilities where necessary and address storm-related impacts, the state said in a news release.
Nāʻālehu Elementary School will remain closed to students and staff through Thursday, Aug. 20, because of storm-related damage and road closures affecting safe access. Families will receive updates directly from their schools regarding instructional plans and reopening timelines. Public schools statewide are already closed Friday in observance of Statehood Day.
Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary School may be closed longer. The department continues to assess campus conditions and roadway accessibility.
Public libraries
All Hawai’i Island branches of Hawaiʻi State Public Library System will remain closed Aug. 18.
The state is working to reopen libraries following the impacts of Hurricane Lala, with the safety of patrons and staff as the top priority.
Because conditions vary throughout the state’s library system, reopening times will differ by location. Some libraries continue to address storm-related impacts, including power outages, downed trees and other conditions that may affect access to the buildings.
Patrons are encouraged to check the schedule at their local library and the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System website regularly for the latest updates as conditions change.
Courts
Court and Judiciary facilities in 3rd Circuit Court on Hawaiʻi Island will remain closed Aug. 18; however, all other courts and Judiciary facilities statewide will reopen.
All hearings and trials scheduled Tuesday on Hawaiʻi Island will be rescheduled.
In addition, by court order, the deadline for all court filings due Tuesday on Hawaiʻi Island will be extended until Aug. 19.
The public is encouraged to visit the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary website for updates and information regarding court operations. As always, parties also can monitor the state’s online public case information system eCourt Kokua for the most current information regarding hearings, trials and case activity.
Brown water advisory
Hawaiʻi Department of Health has issued a brown water advisory for the Big Island. After storms or heavy rain, the water may contain higher than normal pollutant levels. The Department recommends staying out of these affected waters for 48 to 72 hours after the rain has stopped and after the beach has received full sunshine.
The Department of Health advises the public to avoid swimming, wading in, or drinking water from any freshwater streams or pond to prevent leptospirosis, a bacterial infection caused by the leptospira bacteria.
If the water is brown, turn around. For more information and updates, click here.
County water service
Effective immediately and until further notice, an essential needs only notice remains in effect for all Hawaiʻi County Department of Water Supply customers because of adverse impacts from Hurricane Lala, including power outages, islandwide.
Essential needs are for drinking, cooking or personal hygiene only.
Potable water tankers were deployed for customer use at the following locations:
- Pāpaʻikou: Parking area behind Pāpaʻikou Community Center.
- Pepe‘ekeo: Parking area next to Kulaʻimano Community Center.
- North Kohala: Bottom of Makapala Road.
- Nāʻālehu: Parking area across from Ace Hardware.
A map of permanent water spigots can be found at the Hawaiʻi County Department of Water Supply website under the “Community” drop down menu.
Call 808-961-8790 for emergencies.
Hawaiian Electric
About 38,250 customers on the Big Island remained without power as of 7 p.m. Aug. 17, according to an 8 p.m. update from Hawaiian Electric — 1,480 fewer than reported earlier Monday afternoon.
Most remaining outages are in the Puna, North and South Kona, North and South Kohala, Hāmākua and South Hilo areas.
Significant progress was made Monday afternoon on transmission line repairs that will reconnect power generation to the grid. About 25 teams began damage assessments Monday and will continue Aug. 18 working in areas of Kohala, upper Puna, Honoka‘a and South Kona.
Line inspections via three helicopters also were completed Monday. Teams were deployed to Puna and Kona Mauka as well for damage assessments.
Significant damage is being found as Hawaiian Electric completes ongoing damage inspections, particularly in remote areas.
Weather conditions slowed inspections, but crews again will work throughout tonight to restore as many customers as quickly and safely as possible.
Outage numbers represent a snapshot in time and change often as additional customers are restored and more outages occur, sometimes in the same area.
Vegetation management crews are trimming and removing trees and branches that fell on transmission lines.
Customers in heavily damaged rural areas are asked to prepare for extended outages.
Two of Hawaiʻi Island’s largest independent power producers, Puna Geothermal Venture and Hāmākua Energy Partners, as well as wind energy providers Hāwī Renewable Development and Pakini Nui, were unable to connect to the island’s grid as of 4 p.m. Saturday.
Hawaiian Electric also requested assistance from mainland partner electric utilities to expedite post-storm restoration. Roughly 100 crew members are anticipated to arrive as early as Tuesday and begin working Wednesday.
Customers can call Hawaiian Electric’s Big Island Trouble Line at 1-855-304-9191 to report any downed power lines, which should always be treated as energized and dangerous. Call 9-1-1 for emergency assistance.
The company is experiencing a high volume of calls at its customer center. Information about outages is available at the Hawaiian Electric website, the Hawaiian Electric mobile app (available on the App Store for Apple devices and Google Play for Android devices or its social media accounts.
Customers also can sign up to receive emergency outage alerts.
Spectrum services
Spectrum is assessing damage to its network from Hurricane Lala. Service interruptions are largely aligned with power outages impacting the area.
Power needs to be restored first before the company will be able to start making repairs. Spectrum already started to make necessary repairs wherever access is available, and it is safe for employees.
Hundreds of maintenance and field operations technicians are working tirelessly to repair the damaged network infrastructure to restore services as soon as possible.
Nearly 3,000 Spectrum Wi-Fi access points are open throughout the state to help community members stay connected. Some access points could be offline until power is restored. Click here to learn more about the access points and get additional information.
To report damage or need help?
If you sustained damage or, if you and your household are in need of help, as a result of Hurricane Lala, Civil Defense has a damage report and a Request for Assistance reporting portal on the County of Hawaii website or call Civil Defense at 808-935-0031
Residents in need of immediate assistance — such as food, clothing, debris removal, or shelter — from a coalition of nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies can complete a request for assistance form.
Click here to request other assistance.
Transfer stations and landfills
County transfer stations and landfills that are normally scheduled to be open on Monday were open, except those in Pāhala, Wai‘ōhinu and Hawaiian Ocean View Estates, which are inaccessible.
To assist cleanup efforts, transfer stations in Waimea, Kealakehe and Keauhou are accepting green waste daily this week.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park closures
Most of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has limited services and remains closed because of a lack of power:
- Mauna Loa summit, Red Hill and Mauna Loa Road past Kīpukapuaulu are closed. Kīpukapuaulu also remains closed because of hazard trees.
- Crater Rim Drive West from the park entrance to Uēkahuna at the summit of Kīlauea volcano has reopened.
- The Welcome Center and the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association store, Kahuku Unit, all trails and Nāhuku lava tube, tent camping at Nāmakanipaio campgroun, all backcountry sites including the coast and Pepeiao, Chain of Craters Road and the Crater Rim Drive East are closed. Visitors should check the park website for alerts, www.nps.gov/havo.
These areas are still open for registered guests only: Kīlauea Military Camp, Volcano House and the A-frame cabins at Nāmakanipaio. Lodging guests must shelter in place.
County closures and facility impacts
- All county Park and Recreational facilities and beach parks will be closed and all facility usage permits are canceled.
- All county offices are closed.
Online resources
- Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency: https://dod.hawaii.gov/hiema/.
- Emergency Management Agency contacts: https://waihalana.hawaii.gov/ema-contacts/.
- More weather information: https://www.weather.gov/hfo.
- Storm-related park closure updates: Hawaiʻi State Parks web page.
University of Hawai‘i at Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College will remain closed through Aug. 18.
Student Housing Move-In Day at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo will, however, proceed as scheduled. Students and families should follow their assigned arrival times and previously provided instructions.
Only employees needed for essential operations at the Hilo campus and Hawaiʻi Community College as well as for Move-In Day should report to campus.
All other buildings and offices will be closed at both campuses. In-person events, activities, programs and scheduled gatherings also are canceled.
All other employees should not report to either campus and contact their supervisors with questions regarding work status.
Staff and students should continue to monitor their University of Hawaiʻi email and UH RAVE alerts for updates.
Road closures
For an updated list of road closures, visit the Hawaiʻi County Hazard Map: Hazard Impact Map.
