BARRY MARKOWITZ / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-BULLETIN A Honolulu Fire Department engine raced down flooded Kamehameha Highway yesterday to the scene of a vehicle stalled at Johnson Road. The highway was closed at midday yesterday and on Friday night because of flooding from heavy rain.

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Crews mop up
wind damage

Light trades and no rain are
forecast for today's Pro Bowl

Crews worked yesterday to clean up fallen trees and power lines after a short-lived spate of strong winds swept over Oahu on Friday, leaving more than 9,500 customers without power for several hours and damaging at least five homes.

A burst of rainfall at midday yesterday over the Koolau Mountains flooded the Kamehameha Highway at two locations on the Windward Coast. The highway was closed between 12:15 and 2:15 p.m. at Kualoa Ranch and at the mouth of Waiahole Stream.

Both locations also had been closed because of water over the highway on Friday night.

For the 24 hours ending at 2 p.m. yesterday, Kualoa had the highest rainfall in the state, with 5.5 inches. The upper Nuuanu Valley received 4 inches, and Kaneohe got 3.3 inches during the same period.

Kauai's north shore and the northwest and northeast coasts of Maui received more than 2 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service.

A number of tourists scheduled to ride horses or all-terrain vehicles yesterday at Kualoa Ranch and Activity Club couldn't make it because of the closed highway, said employee Cindy Jepsen.

"Our front pastures were like lakes, and that just went over the road," forcing the closure of Kamehameha Highway near Kualoa Beach Park, Jepsen said.

Despite the pouring rain, Kualoa Ranch's rides and tours continued.

"We don't cancel anything unless there's lightning," Jepsen said. "The people on ATVs have a blast when it's raining -- they come in all covered with mud and screaming."

Late Friday, a firefighter was slightly injured while trying to fight a brush fire, apparently started by a damaged transformer near Honokai Hale on the Waianae Coast. Fire Department spokesman Kenison Tejada said the firefighter tripped while bringing a water hose up a hill.

In all, the fire department responded to 11 wind- or rain-related incidents on Friday night, including three traffic accidents.

Trees fell on at least three homes, two in Makaha and one in Nuuanu, and firefighters responded to two reports of roof damage from strong winds. No injuries were reported in those incidents.

About 9 p.m. Friday, a tree fell on a car traveling near 2063 Round Top Drive, seriously injuring a 17-year-old girl. Her condition wasn't available yesterday.

In Makaha, a tree fell on a roof and dragged down power lines at 84-156 Makau St. And at 85-215 Ala Akau St., a tree fell on a fence and then leaned on a home, Tejada said. Damage estimates were not available yesterday.

A tree also fell on a Nuuanu home at 3106 Kaohinani St., causing as much as $100,000 in damage. Owner David Ing said a 40- to 50-foot Royal Palm snapped and crashed on the bathroom. No one was injured.

Seven Hawaiian Electric Co. poles were downed by the winds, including two on Round Top Drive and five on the Leeward Coast, said spokeswoman Lynne Unemori.

Power had been restored to about 9,400 customers by yesterday afternoon, she said.

Power was restored to the last of the affected HECO customers yesterday. About 20 HECO customers on Round Top Drive got power back at 5 p.m. and 50 more customers in Waianae were restored at 6:21 p.m., Unemori said.

Firefighters also responded to three traffic accidents, one of which involved a pedestrian.

A 41-year-old was seriously injured Friday night on Kamehameha Highway after being hit by a car near Sunset Beach Elementary School.

Traffic accidents in which weather was likely to be a factor also occurred on the Likelike Highway and near the Kahana Bay Boat Ramp, Tejada said. Details were not available on the extent of injuries.

National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Burke said the high winds Friday night were localized, with the Leeward Coast getting hit hardest.

Residents can expect temperate weather in the coming week, with a transition into light trade winds today, Burke said. "The wind's not going to be a problem for the foreseeable future," he said.