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| The glow from Halema`uma`u is one of many highlights Ka`u residents can enjoy at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park during fee-free days today and tomorrow. Photo by Peter Anderson |
Hawai`i Electric Light Co. crews continue to respond to the outages.
According to HELCO, as of 5:30 p.m., an estimated 5,000 customers were without power in portions of Volcano Village, Volcano Village, Hawi, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Orchidland, Ainaloa, Hawaiian Beaches, Hawaiian Shores, Kapoho, Nanawale, Leilani Estates, Fern Forest, Fern Acres, Hawaiian Acres, Eden Roc, Aloha Estates, Hilo, and Waimea.
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| Wood Valley residents are once again dealing with downed trees and utility lines as they did following Tropical Storm Iselle. Photo by Julia Neal |
Customers in Hawaiian Beaches, Hawaiian Shores, Kapoho, Nanawale, and Leilani Estates were advised to prepare for extended outages which could last until later this week and in some areas, much longer.
HELCO reminds residents to be safe and treat downed power lines as energized and dangerous. Do not handle or move any fallen or damaged utility equipment. If someone is injured by a downed power line, do not approach them. Call 9-1-1 for assistance. For more safety information, see the Handbook for Emergency Preparedness at www.hawaiielectriclight.com, at HELCO business offices, or by phone at 969-0137.
HELCO asks customers who have not yet reported their power outage to call its trouble line at 969-6666. Due to the high call volume, customers may experience a longer wait time before speaking with a representative. The company sincerely apologizes for this inconvenience and thanks customers for their patience and understanding.
HELCO reminds residents to be safe and treat downed power lines as energized and dangerous. Do not handle or move any fallen or damaged utility equipment. If someone is injured by a downed power line, do not approach them. Call 9-1-1 for assistance. For more safety information, see the Handbook for Emergency Preparedness at www.hawaiielectriclight.com, at HELCO business offices, or by phone at 969-0137.
HELCO asks customers who have not yet reported their power outage to call its trouble line at 969-6666. Due to the high call volume, customers may experience a longer wait time before speaking with a representative. The company sincerely apologizes for this inconvenience and thanks customers for their patience and understanding.
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Council committees meet Tuesday. All meetings, held at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona, are live-streamed at hawaiicounty.gov. Click on Council Meetings on left side of page. Ka`u residents can also participate via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center.
Agendas for all meetings are available at hawaiicounty.gov.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL WEDNESDAY will consider a bill that would require Planned Unit Development applications to be reviewed and acted on by either the Leeward or Windward Planning Commission, depending on properties’ locations. Currently, only the Planning director has to approve PUDs, and public notice follows the decisions. Decisions can be overturned by the Board of Appeals and the Third Circuit Court. The Council Planning Committee unanimously approved the measure earlier this month.
While the initial intent of the PUD was to make for better planning by avoiding simple cookie cutter developments, PUDs are sometimes used by developers to obtain smaller, more desirable lots for estates and houses. Council committees meet Tuesday. All meetings, held at West Hawai`i Civic Center in Kona, are live-streamed at hawaiicounty.gov. Click on Council Meetings on left side of page. Ka`u residents can also participate via videoconferencing at Ocean View Community Center.
Agendas for all meetings are available at hawaiicounty.gov.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
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| Sen. Brian Schatz |
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| Sen. Mazie Hirono |
HAWAI`I PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY will receive a $9,036,788 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as part of its Capital Fund Program for Public Housing Agencies.
“Safe, affordable housing is a basic necessity that every person deserves,” said Sen. Brian Schatz. “This important investment by HUD will make sure the Hawai`i Public Housing Authority has the resources to help build and maintain public housing units in our most vulnerable communities. As a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, I am committed to ensuring that Hawai`i receives its fair share so that those individuals and families most in need have a safe place to call home.”
Sen. Mazie Hirono said, “Having a safe and stable home is a basic necessity. However, 28,000 Hawai`i residents are on wait lists for affordable housing. Every family in Hawai`i deserves a place to call home, and investing in families striving to enter the middle class is one of the best investments we can make. This much needed grant will allow the Hawai`i Public Housing Authority to modernize and develop affordable housing across the state.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
“As an example of teamwork leading to great insights, Mike collaborated with HVO colleagues on a study that combined deformation measurements with gas emissions, lava eruption rates, lava chemistry and seismicity to reveal a dramatic increase in magma supply rate to Kilauea. This study – the first of its kind – showed how information about supply rate changes on a short timescale can help forecast the eruptive behavior of the volcano. The surge in supply started in late 2003 and led to the start of a new, long-lived volcanic vent on the East Rift Zone in 2007 and probably contributed to the opening of Kilauea’s summit vent in 2008.
Sen. Mazie Hirono said, “Having a safe and stable home is a basic necessity. However, 28,000 Hawai`i residents are on wait lists for affordable housing. Every family in Hawai`i deserves a place to call home, and investing in families striving to enter the middle class is one of the best investments we can make. This much needed grant will allow the Hawai`i Public Housing Authority to modernize and develop affordable housing across the state.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
THE CURRENT ISSUE OF VOLCANO WATCH discusses Mike Poland’s 10 years at USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Poland is returning to Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington later this month.
Poland “has accomplished a tremendous amount of research, mentored a vast number of students and young researchers, forged close friendships and warm collegial relationships at HVO and spent considerable time trying to instill in us an appreciation for hockey,” the article states.
“Mike came to HVO to focus on deformation – changes in the shape of a volcano resulting from magma movement and earthquakes - particularly in how those changes can be measured with satellite radar (InSAR). He quickly realized, however, that volcano monitoring requires cross-disciplinary teamwork and innovation – skills that he has proven to have in abundance.
“Mike came to HVO to focus on deformation – changes in the shape of a volcano resulting from magma movement and earthquakes - particularly in how those changes can be measured with satellite radar (InSAR). He quickly realized, however, that volcano monitoring requires cross-disciplinary teamwork and innovation – skills that he has proven to have in abundance.
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| Mike Poland programs a GPS receiver near Pu`u `O`o on Kilauea's East Rift Zone. Photo from USGS/HVO |
“Through Mike’s work, we also know that the opening of the summit vent was actually the result of a process that began decades ago. Analyzing data from microgravity measurements on Kilauea, he helped identify an accumulation of magma in the area beneath the current summit vent that had not been detected by any other means.
“This insight inspired Mike to establish instruments to continuously record subtle changes in the gravity field on Kilauea. One revelation from these data is that the density of the upper part of the summit lava lake is much lower than expected – less than the density of water, implying that the lava is extremely gas-rich, similar to the foam on beer.
“Mike put his InSAR skills to good use as well, authoring many studies that range from widespread deformation, like that associated with intrusions into Kilauea’s rift zones to localized deformation in hazardous areas such as the unstable new land formed where lava enters the sea and the rim of the Kilauea's summit vent. He also used InSAR in innovative ways, for example, in mapping lava flow coverage over time to estimate Kilauea’s lava effusion rate. ...
“HVO staff may still not have learned to fully appreciate hockey, but we have certainly learned much about volcanic processes through Mike's work. While this Volcano Watch article mentions just a few of his accomplishments at HVO, we thank him for his countless contributions and wish him well in his future endeavors.”
See the full article at hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
“This insight inspired Mike to establish instruments to continuously record subtle changes in the gravity field on Kilauea. One revelation from these data is that the density of the upper part of the summit lava lake is much lower than expected – less than the density of water, implying that the lava is extremely gas-rich, similar to the foam on beer.
“Mike put his InSAR skills to good use as well, authoring many studies that range from widespread deformation, like that associated with intrusions into Kilauea’s rift zones to localized deformation in hazardous areas such as the unstable new land formed where lava enters the sea and the rim of the Kilauea's summit vent. He also used InSAR in innovative ways, for example, in mapping lava flow coverage over time to estimate Kilauea’s lava effusion rate. ...
“HVO staff may still not have learned to fully appreciate hockey, but we have certainly learned much about volcanic processes through Mike's work. While this Volcano Watch article mentions just a few of his accomplishments at HVO, we thank him for his countless contributions and wish him well in his future endeavors.”
See the full article at hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
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| Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's wedding will be a Hindu ceremony. |
REP. TULSI GABBARD’S WEDDING DETAILS are coming out. The 33-year-old’s marriage to 28-year-old Abraham Williams will be a Hindu ceremony in April on a Hawaiian beach.
Gabbard accepted the marriage proposal from the cinematographer, surfer and campaign worker during a Thanksgiving surfing outing last year, according to a story in this morning’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser by Nadine Kam. The couple has been dating since last April.
The Washington Post has called Gabbard the most eligible in Congress, and The Hill called her “the Hawaiian Heartbreaker” and number six on its list of 50 most beautiful people on Capitol Hill, the Advertiser story points out.
Invitations go out this week. Fellow kama`aina President Barack Obama is on the guest list, but “she doesn’t know whether he will be able to attend,” the Advertiser reports.
The Washington Post has called Gabbard the most eligible in Congress, and The Hill called her “the Hawaiian Heartbreaker” and number six on its list of 50 most beautiful people on Capitol Hill, the Advertiser story points out.
Invitations go out this week. Fellow kama`aina President Barack Obama is on the guest list, but “she doesn’t know whether he will be able to attend,” the Advertiser reports.
See staradvertiser.com.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
ENTRY FEES ARE WAIVED today and tomorrow at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park for Presidents Day Weekend.
Kilauea Military Camp inside the park invites the public to see how it supports America’s troops by utilizing any of its facilities and services today and tomorrow.
LEHUA LOPEZ-MAU SPEAKS ABOUT Ka`u Heritage Center at Hawaiian Ranchos Community Association’s Annual Membership Meeting tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Ranchos Road Maintenance Building on Kohala. All are welcome to hear about these 15 acres of Ka`u Dryland Forest acquired in Kona Gardens for preservation and display.
Email ranchos96737@gmail.com for more information.
KA`U RESIDENTS ARE INVITED to participate in a vog focus group Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Pahala Library. Host Claire Horwell, director of the International Volcanic Health Hazard Network, is studying how people cope with volcanic emissions. To sign up, see https://www.facebook.com/groups/421925067973152/ or call 808-967-8809.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
ENTRY FEES ARE WAIVED today and tomorrow at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park for Presidents Day Weekend.
Kilauea Military Camp inside the park invites the public to see how it supports America’s troops by utilizing any of its facilities and services today and tomorrow.
LEHUA LOPEZ-MAU SPEAKS ABOUT Ka`u Heritage Center at Hawaiian Ranchos Community Association’s Annual Membership Meeting tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Ranchos Road Maintenance Building on Kohala. All are welcome to hear about these 15 acres of Ka`u Dryland Forest acquired in Kona Gardens for preservation and display.
Email ranchos96737@gmail.com for more information.
KA`U RESIDENTS ARE INVITED to participate in a vog focus group Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Pahala Library. Host Claire Horwell, director of the International Volcanic Health Hazard Network, is studying how people cope with volcanic emissions. To sign up, see https://www.facebook.com/groups/421925067973152/ or call 808-967-8809.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
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| See kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.pdf and kaucalendar.com/Directory2015.swf. |
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| See kaucalendar.com/KauCalendar_February2015.pdf. |
