LIHUE — Hawaii Gas is going the distance, and then some, to get propane service to Kauai customers in flood recovery areas.
Crews have been working to restore propane service for customers by helping to recover propane tanks that floated away and, where possible, reset the tanks at homes so people can cook and heat water again.
About 500 Hawaii Gas customers from Hanalei to Haena were affected, as well as some customers in low-lying areas of Keapana, Anahola, Aliomanu and Koloa.
“Once propane service has been restored, many customers are able to cook and heat water,” the company said in a press release. “Some traditional water heaters were damaged by the flooding, but customers with gas tankless water heaters were spared from damage because these water heaters tend to be higher above ground level.”
Many customers affected by the recent storm in Hanalei, Anahola, Keapana, Aliomanu, Koloa and Kilauea have had their propane service restored.
Hawaii Gas crews have been working their way to Wainiha and Haena, and already have most services restored.
In addition, Hawaii Gas donated 50 tanks of propane, 213 gallons, to help with disaster relief. Crew members delivered the donation to Malama Kauai’s warehouse in Kilauea early one morning before heading out for their regular shifts. Malama Kauai will be distributing the tanks to the community to be used for cooking and heating water.
As of Wednesday morning, Hawaii Gas estimates that about 95 percent of customers who were affected have had their propane service restored.
When officials opened a lane of Kuhio Highway to emergency vehicles only, Hawaii Gas crews were allowed to go in with two pickups in order to assist customers.
“There have been several days where the crews have put in long hours to assess and restore service in the most hard-hit areas, and it has been a very demanding period as crews help families recover from the devastation,” the release said.
Many Hawaii Gas customers followed the proper emergency procedures. Many customers who were told by authorities to evacuate their homes turned off their propane before leaving and secured their propane tanks by tying them to a tree or a structure.
Only a handful of propane tanks floated away and needed to be recovered. Hawaii Gas crews have been resetting and reconnecting the propane tanks to restore propane service for customers.
