The National Weather Service ended a flash flood warning earlier this morning and has instead issued a flash flood watch for the island until 6 p.m. The heavy rains have ceased and stream gages are slowly lowering, a county press
The National Weather Service ended a flash flood warning earlier this morning and has instead issued a flash flood watch for the island until 6 p.m.
The heavy rains have ceased and stream gages are slowly lowering, a county press release said. However, the bridge over the Hanalei River remains closed to traffic due to flooding.
As a result, students of Hanalei Elementary School have been asked not to attend today, a Department of Education press release said. The school is expected to reopen tomorrow. All other Department of Education campuses are open.
School bus transportation services from Haena to Hanalei will not be operating. Students living in Hanalei to Haena who attend Kapa‘a Middle and Kapa‘a High schools will not have school bus services due to the bridge closure, the DOE release said.
Other impacts of the weather, according to the county, include reported mudslides, a broken pipeline in the Hanapepe Valley and the closure of the Kilauea HI-5 bottle redemption center. It will remain closed until weather conditions improve.
The Department of Water issued an urgent request for Hanapepe and ‘Ele‘ele residents and visitors to conserve water and to restrict water consumption to essential uses only. That includes cooking, bathing and toilet flushing.
“A primary water source for these areas, the pipeline presumably broke as a result of flood conditions,” the release said.
Residents are asked to notify their neighbors and encourage their participation. Water conservation efforts will reduce the likelihood of a water outage in the area, the release said.
Mudslides with falling rocks have also been reported in Kapa‘a and Kalaheo, and ponding is occurring in some areas. Motorists are urged to exercise caution particularly along hills and cliffs where the potential for landslides exists, the county press release said.
County spokeswoman Sarah Blane said she hasn’t learned of anyweather-related vehicle accidents this morning. She did report that a power outage occurred in Wainiha.
For more information about the pipeline break, please call the Department of Water at 245-5455 during business hours, 7:45 am to 4:30 pm, or Police Dispatch at 241-1711 after business hours.
For updates on the reopening of the Kilauea HI-5 redemption center, please call the operator, Kaua’i Community Recycling Services, at 645-1676.
