Residents and tourists in Waikiki lined up outside convenience stores to buy food and water after the power went out tonight.
ABC stores and the Whaler’s General Store on Ala Moana Boulevard stayed open in the dark to allow people to buy necessities.

People waited in line and clerks took them in small groups using battery-operated lamps and flashlights to get supplies.

Barry and Sandi Hartstein stood in line at the ABC store on Ala Moana Blvd. near the Hilton Hawaiian Village for about 30 minutes this evening.

“It’s scary when you think about it,” Barry Hartstein said.

But his wife was more nonchalant.

“We’re used to bad weather. We’re from Chicago,” she said.

Keo’s Restaurant in Waikiki was packed, despite the outage. Diners ate by the light from tiki torches and a few emergency lights.

Manager Paul Sananikone said the restaurant uses gas to cook and used the old paper credit card slips rather than electronic transfers.

“Everybody sat down. Everybody’s happy, we’re cooking no problem,” he said. “I just don’t understand why they don’t do something about this (power outage).” he said.