Ferocious winds stir injuries, damage

Three are hurt and thousands lose electricity due to the storm

Three people were injured yesterday as a result of blustery winds that blew off pieces of roofs and caused power failures on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.

Downed power lines sparked brush fires on Kauai and the Big Island and a tree fire on Oahu.

On Oahu a total of 16,000 homes and businesses in different areas had electrical service interrupted throughout the day.

FORECAST Today's forecast: Breezy, south winds up to 25 mph. Partly sunny day turning into partly cloudy night. Scattered windward and mountain showers. Tomorrow: Breezy and mostly cloudy. Scattered showers, with southwest winds up to 25 mph.

The National Weather Service posted a wind advisory, indicating gusts up to 50 mph, and a high-surf warning for north and west shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai and Maui in effect through 4 p.m. today.

Wind slammed a door shut on a Sheridan Street resident's right hand, amputating the tips of two fingers, according to Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city Emergency Medical Services Division. The woman, 38, was taken to the Queen's Medical Center and listed in serious condition after the 12:30 p.m. accident.

Two people were taken to Straub Hospital after being struck by an airborne beach chair at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel pool. They were reported in stable condition, Cheplic said.

A brief morning outage at the Wahiawa Wastewater Treatment Plant led to discharge of 8,000 gallons of partially treated sewage into Lake Wilson. The water was filtered and biologically treated but had not gone through the ultraviolet disinfection process. Warning signs were posted.

A stiff breeze pushed a tree down onto a house at 87-818 Kulauku St. in Maili, causing damage to the rain gutters. Honolulu Fire Department units were sent to four reports of downed utility poles and a total of seven "blown roof" calls, in Kaneohe, Waipahu and Pacific Palisade, all between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., said Capt. Frank Johnson.

On Oahu, 2,400 customers in Wahiawa Heights and 400 Kaneohe customers remained without power last night, Hawaiian Electric Co. spokesman Peter Rosegg said. Power failures occurred in a dozen areas during the day. Rosegg said HECO had 125 people in the field yesterday to deal with downed poles and lines. "All crews were pulled off planned duties to handle outages," he said.

On the Big Island, winds gusting to 50 mph knocked down trees in several places in the Puna District south of Hilo, forcing the Puna Geothermal Venture power plant off line, Mayor Harry Kim said. Up to 10,000 customers were affected, the Hawaii Electric Light Co. said.

At Waikoloa, winds knocked down a power line, and then sparking wires started a brush fire, Civil Defense official Duane Hosaka said. Firefighters were able to contain it to three acres. Above the village near Mamalahoa Highway, another fire of undetermined origin burned about one acre but was quickly controlled.

At the summit of Mauna Kea, gusts of 72 mph were reported at the University of Hawaii's 88-inch telescope. Skies remained cloudless during the day, and temperatures were just below freezing.

On Kauai, the Hanalei Bridge was closed for about an hour at midday when a high-tension wire broke and fell near the bridge, county officials said. Sparks from downed lines caused a minor brush fire near the bridge. Another sparking line caused a small brush fire near Lihue Airport yesterday morning.

On Kauai's east side, a downed power line led to the closure of Kamalu Road and a power failure for nearly six hours in the Wailua area. Power was restored by 2:40 p.m., said officials with the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative.

On Maui, more than 20 power failures occurred as a result of tree limbs striking power lines or power lines touching each other, said Maui Electric Co. dispatch supervisor Mitch Judot. He said in one instance, a power pole broke and crashed into a house. No one was injured.

"We're having a lot of problems," Judot said. "It's been a very bad day."

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