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HomeMy WebLinkAbout825PMWeatherUpdate4161804, BERNARD P. CARVALHO JR.WALLACE G. REZENTES JR. Mayor Managing Director COUNTY OF KAUA'I KAUA'I EMERGENCY MANAGEMEMENT AGENCY News Release For Immediate Release: April 15, 2018 ELTON LISHIO, ADMINISTRATOR Tel (808) 241-1800 Fax (808) 241-1860 8:20 p.m. UPDATE: Flash Flood Warning extended to 10:45 p.m.; Road closures reported LIHU'E — The Flash Flood Warning for the island of Kaua'i continues until at least 10:45 p.m., and a Flash Flood Watch remains in effect until 6 a.m. Monday. Hawai'i Department of Transportation crews are utilizing one southbound lane of the Wailua Bridge to remove logs debris from the Wailua River. Both lanes of the northbound bridge are open. Also, the mauka portion of Kahiliholo Road, at Kalihiwai Ridge, is closed until further notice due to severe erosion. Officials are also reporting the following road closures: • Kuhi6 Highway, between Waikoko and Wainiha, due to multiple landslides; • Kuhio Highway, between Princeville and the Hanalei Bridge, due to flooding; • Hanalei Plantation Road in Princeville due to a sinkhole. Kalihiwai Reservoir had reached near capacity as of 3:30 p.m. As a safety precaution, the low-lying areas of Kalihiwai Valley along Kalihiwai Valley Road and near Kalihiwai Stream were evacuated. There is no active threat at this time as water appears to be receding but the evacuation remains in effect until further notice. Westbound traffic on Kaumuali'i Highway are being directed onto Maluhia and Lawa'i roads due to flooding along the highway in that area. Eastbound motorist are advised to proceed with extreme caution in this area. The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative continues to report spotted power outages from Kilauea to Lawa'i due to severe weather and lightning strikes. Additionally, extended outages are continuing from Hanalei to HA'ena. The American Red Cross has opened an evacuation shelter at Koloa Elementary School due to multiple homes becoming flooded and rescue operations occurring in the vicinity of Waila'au Road. An evacuation shelter remains open at Hanalei Elementary School and the Church of the Pacific in Princeville. The shelter at Kapa'a Middle School has been closed. Big Save in Hanalei and AMR worked together to provide additional water to the Hanalei shelter and are now working to deliver additional food supplies. The Department of Education has announced that Hanalei Elementary School will be closed on Monday, April 16 due to inclement weather. As a result of the school closure, no school busses will be operating for students residing in Hanalei, Wainiha or Ha'ena who attend Kapa'a Middle and Kapa'a High School. Additionally, DOE reports that due to inclement weather conditions and road conditions, bus transportation services will not be operating for students residing in Keapana (Valley Area) who attend Kapaa Elementary, Kapaa Middle and Kapaa High schools. This notice is only for the students living in the Keapana Valley area. The Kauai Emergency Management Emergency Operations Center has been activated since early Saturday morning and is continuing to partner with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army and the Honolulu Fire Department to support the ongoing search and rescue operations on the North Shore. Both on -duty and off -duty emergency personnel have performed a number of rescues and evacuations since Saturday night. The exact number of rescues are not yet known and no major injuries have been reported at this time. The state Department of Transportation and the county Public Works Roads Division continue to work to clear landslides and debris that have occurred in multiple locations between Kalihiwai and Wainiha. The Department of Water (DOW) announces a water service outage for HA'ena, Wainiha and some Hanalei customers until further notice. There is no timeline for water service restoration at this time, due to the inaccessibility of the area. Affected customers are advised to collect rain water to use for non -potable water needs. Princeville Utilities Co., Inc. has issued an immediate water conservation notice for all its customers in Princeville, Anini Vista, Kalihiwai Bay Estates, Kapaka Road and Hanalei Plantation Road. Severe inclement weather has affected the emergency repairs response to the well which will result in depletion of the storage tank supply. There is currently no available timeline for water service restoration or service repairs at this time due to the inaccessibility of the area. Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr. has signed an emergency proclamation as the County of Kauai engages in various emergency response operations associated with record -breaking rains, flooding and thunderstorms. For updates on road conditions and closures, please call 241-1725. Please do not call Kauai police 911 unless you have an emergency. For weather updates call the National Weather Service automated weather line at 245- 6001, or visit the NWS website, www.weather.gov/hawaii. To sign up for Blackboard Connect, the county's emergency notification service, please go to the county's website, www.kauai.gov/KEMA, or call the Kauai Emergency Management Agency at 241-1800.