Friday, July 15, 2022

Ka‘ū News Briefs, Friday, July 15, 2022

Da Braddahs, above, along with Primetime Pipi and Kaleo Pilanca, will perform free at Ocean View
Community Center on Saturday, at the health event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. See more below.

PUNALUʻU AND HONUʻAPO BEACH PARKS ARE CLOSED for the weekend, with the arrival of high surf expected to create wave heights of up to 20 feet along the southern coast of the island, according to county Civil Defense. Not only are numerous beach parks on south-facing shores closed all the way into Kailua-Kona, but also camping is prohibited, with all permits cancelled.
    Large swells from the South Pacific were expected to hit shores Friday evening and strengthen through Saturday. Waves are expected to be between 15-20’ at their peak and hold through Sunday. The Beach Parks will be reassessed on Sunday, but with the swell continuing through Sunday and the possibility of debris in the parks, there is a chance they will remain closed until Monday, said a Civil Defense statement.
    Parks affected by the closure, besides the two in Kaʻū are: Miloliʻi Beach Park and Hoʻokena in South Kona; Manini Point/Nāpoʻopoʻo; Honaunau Boat Ramp; Kahaluʻu; Magic Sands/Laʻaloa; Pāhoehoe;
Honls; Hale Hālāwai; and Old Airport. In Puna, Isaac Hale is closed.
    Mayor Mitch Roth said, “We're asking residents, particularly our surfers, boaters, and ocean gatherers, to exercise extreme caution along Southern shores this weekend. The swells accompanied by the remnants of Hurricane Darby may cause unpredictable ocean conditions that could lead to serious harm. We don’t want to lose any of our loved ones and ask that folks don’t go out when in doubt.”
    Visit the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Hazard Map live updated information through the weekend: https://hawaii-county-civil-defense-agency-hawaiicountygis.hub.arcgis.com/

DARBY IS STILL A TROPICAL STORM with winds of 74 mph at 5 p.m. Friday. She is expected to weaken overnight and become a Depression by the time she tracks west, well below South Point tomorrow at about 8 a.m. Winds are expected to come ahead of Darby but the Central Pacific Hurricane Center predicts a less than 5 percent chance of them clipping South Point.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.htm.

Da Braddahs will perform at Ocean
View Community Center on Saturday.
The event, which also offers Covid tests
and vaccines is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
THE ʻOHANA HEALTH EVENT AT OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY CENTER ON SATURDAY will have some bonuses for those who attend. Free backpacks with earbuds will go to the first 100 students. Each student must be present. 
    Entertainment will include Da Braddahs comedy team, plus Primetime Pipi and Kaleo Pilanca.    
    Sponsored by Kaʻū Rural Health Community Association, the state Department of Health and Project Vision, the focus is on the Pacific Islander community but everyone is invited to attend Saturday, July 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 92-8924 Leilani Circle.
    Also offered are free $50 gas cards for those who attend and receive a Covid-19 vaccination or booster, while supplies last.
    A team of Pacific Islanders from Department of Health flew in from Oʻahu to help with education and translation. They will talk with the community in the languages of Pacific Islanders. 





To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.htm.

THE POWER LINE WILDFIRE on the southeast flank of Mauna Loa in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is 95% contained and remains at 42.5 acres in size, according to the National Park Service Friday report. "Very isolated smoldering continues in leaf litter, logs, and snags within the interior of the fire. Firefighters continue to work the fire today with hoses, hand tools, and chainsaws to extinguish all residual smoldering
A stand of koa trees with trunks charred and a blackened, scorched
 understory. NPS Photo by M.Wasser
they can safely reach. Falling snags from dead trees burned in the 2018 Keauhou fire continue to be a hazard for firefighters, making it difficult to safely access and mop up the interior of the fire. Other hazards to firefighters include loose, uneven lava rock terrain."
    The statement noted a chance for significant rainfall Saturday as Tropical Storm Darby approaches south of Hawaiʻi Island, according to the National Weather Service.
    Mauna Loa Road remains closed to the public from the gate at the Kīpukapuaulu parking lot. Only authorized vehicles are allowed past the gate until further notice.
    The Power Line Fire was first reported at 6:09 p.m. on Monday, July 11 and started near a power line road at around 4,800-ft. elevation in the park. The cause of the fire is under investigation.No homes or other structures have been damaged. The burn has impacted habitat for native birds, and a 1,760-foot section of ungulate-proof fence that protects native forest from non-native hooved animals was damaged.
    Cooperating agencies that assisted the National Park Service through the initial attack include the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), County of Hawaiʻi Fire Department, and the U.S. Army's Pōhakuloa Training Area.
    Most of Hawaiʻi is experiencing dry conditions, ranging from abnormally dry to extreme drought. "Most wildfires in Hawaiʻi are started by people. Help protect the ʻāina and learn how to be fire safe by visiting https://www.hawaiiwildfire.org/lookout/," advises the statement from the Park .
    The next fire update will be Monday, July 18.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/04/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.htm.