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| Hawaiian Electric promises hardening of its infrastructure to help prevent fires on this island, Maui County, and O‘ahu. The federal government is throwing in $95 million. This is a recent South Point fire, put out with the help of Nā‘ālehu and Discovery Harbour Volunteer Fire Companies. Photo by Kehau Kalani |
"As Hawaiian Electric continues to collaborate with the Hawai‘i Department of Defense and state and county emergency management officials, the company has stationed active monitors who are physically surveying electrical infrastructure in more than 30 areas identified as high wildfire risk in Maui County, on Hawai‘i Island and O‘ahu to help to ensure safe and reliable service.
"As part of its ongoing mitigation efforts, the company continues trimming vegetation around lines, increasing inspections of poles and lines, and installing equipment to closely monitor lines. It also plans to disable automatic circuit reclose systems and will not reenergize lines that trip during high winds until they can be inspected. Some of these actions may result in extended outages for some customers. To report a downed line or power outage, call Hawaiian Electric at 1-855-304-1212. In an emergency, call 911."
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| Volunteer firefighters spend a lot of time protecting communities, agriculture and wildlands from fires that take off through invasive dry grass. Photo by Kehau Kalani |
The Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency offers these tips to reduce the risk of wildfires:
- Use extreme caution with flame or heat sources outdoors. Do not burn items outdoors and be careful when using power tools or garden equipment that could strike sparks from stones.
- Never throw cigarette butts or other burning items from a vehicle or into vegetation.
- Never park on dry grass or vegetation; vehicle exhaust systems quickly become hot enough to start a blaze.
- Clear dry vegetation and other flammable items away from around structures. The idea is to create at least five feet of "fire-free defensible space" around them to make it less likely that embers will spread a fire.
- Make sure roof and gutters are free of dead leaves and other fuel that could give fire an easy place to start.
- Trim tall vegetation around trees that could act as a "ladder" and allow flames to climb into the tree canopy and spread rapidly. Prune trees and shrubs near structures to create separation within the tree canopy.
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HARDENING THE HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC INFRASTRUCTURE WITH $95 MILLION IN FUNDING from the federal government was announced by Hawaiian Electric this week, which took its plan to the state Public Utilities Commission for approval. The funding from U.S. Department of Energy is for
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| Nā‘ālehu Volunteer Fire Chief Ron Ebert. Photo by Kehau Kalani |
Hawaiian Electric's program is called the Climate Adaptation Transmission and Distribution Resilience Program, which was submitted to the Public Utilities Commission for approval in June 2022. The federal matching funds reduce the cost of the program to customers by 50 percent.
Hawaiian Electric applied for the IIJA grid resilience funding in April 2023 and stated that it has kept regulators and the state Consumer Advocate updated on the progress of its application, which both supported. Hawaiian Electric is “grateful for the Commission’s and Consumer Advocate’s support for this IIJA funding request,” the company wrote in a filing with regulators to now approve the climate adaptation plan, given the federal government’s willingness to underwrite half of the project.
The company statement states that "Hawaiian Electric’s proposed five-year resilience plan includes a slate of initial, foundational grid resilience investments as the first phase of long-term climate adaptation effort. Investing in a more resilient power system will reduce the severity of damage when major events happen and enable service to be restored more quickly even when there aren’t storms.
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Hawaiian Electric applied for the IIJA grid resilience funding in April 2023 and stated that it has kept regulators and the state Consumer Advocate updated on the progress of its application, which both supported. Hawaiian Electric is “grateful for the Commission’s and Consumer Advocate’s support for this IIJA funding request,” the company wrote in a filing with regulators to now approve the climate adaptation plan, given the federal government’s willingness to underwrite half of the project.
The company statement states that "Hawaiian Electric’s proposed five-year resilience plan includes a slate of initial, foundational grid resilience investments as the first phase of long-term climate adaptation effort. Investing in a more resilient power system will reduce the severity of damage when major events happen and enable service to be restored more quickly even when there aren’t storms.
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| Recent range fire in South Point where volunteer firefighters helped to douse the flames and end the threat. Photo by Kehau Kalani |
High-level elements of the program include:
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WITH A RED ALERT THIS WEEK, Kaʻū Volunteer Fire Companies have been on high alert, following their successful battle against wildfires that broke out recently in South Point. Among the volunteers are Nā‘ālehu Fire Captain Ron Ebert, Kehau Kalani, Kai Kalani and Makana Gravela, and Discovery Harbour Volunteer Firefighters TJ James, Ken Shisler, Nels Eklund and Skip Glaser.
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GIRLS EXPLORING MATH & SCIENCE is open for fifth-grade wahine for the annual event to be held in Kona. Kaʻū girls are invited to apply, first come, first served. Registration opens Sept. 7 for fifth graders from Kaʻū through West Hawai‘i.
Since the pandemic, this event has been smaller and conducted outside for safety. This annual day of discovery features hands-on workshops/ and exhibits led by local women volunteers who work in math and science-oriented careers. Some of this year’s workshops are: Underwater Adventures, Marine Science & Problem Solving Along Our Shores, Art and Science of Food, Structures and How they are Made, Science of Robotics, Body Shop, and more. Some exhibits are: Space Rocks, Hawai‘i Wildlife Center, A Close Look at Algae and more.
Interested fifth-grade girls should return the registration form ASAP to be part of this GEMS day. Each girl will select three workshops. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, along with a special GEMs bag. The final postmark deadline is Friday, Oct. 6. Space is limited. Registration is $20 and scholarships are available. No one will be turned away due to financial need. For more info or if you wish to sponsor a girl: call Cindy at 808-896-7180 or email billandcindyarmer@gmail.com.
- Critical Transmission Hardening – Replacing poles and conductors on high-priority transmission lines
- Critical Circuit Hardening – circuits serving critical customers such as hospitals, public infrastructure and critical defense facilities;
- Critical Pole Hardening and Replacement – e.g., poles that support multiple circuits; replacing poles with fire-resistant materials;
- Wildfire Mitigation - System hardening and increased situational awareness and control (e.g., cameras, sensors and reclosers) targeted to areas prone to wildfire;
- Undergrounding of portions of certain distribution circuits;
- Hazard Tree Removal – The complete removal of off-right-of-way trees that are weak, dead, diseased, or structurally comprised a pose a risk to power lines (as opposed to trimming);
- Control Center Resilience – hardening of existing system control centers.
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WITH A RED ALERT THIS WEEK, Kaʻū Volunteer Fire Companies have been on high alert, following their successful battle against wildfires that broke out recently in South Point. Among the volunteers are Nā‘ālehu Fire Captain Ron Ebert, Kehau Kalani, Kai Kalani and Makana Gravela, and Discovery Harbour Volunteer Firefighters TJ James, Ken Shisler, Nels Eklund and Skip Glaser.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.
GIRLS EXPLORING MATH & SCIENCE is open for fifth-grade wahine for the annual event to be held in Kona. Kaʻū girls are invited to apply, first come, first served. Registration opens Sept. 7 for fifth graders from Kaʻū through West Hawai‘i.
The day-long GEMS event will be on on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at Kahalu‘u Manowai from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and registration fills up fast. This event is sponsored by the American Association of University Women Kona, whose mission is to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. Registration forms will be available at Nā‘ālehu, Pāhala and all West Hawai‘i schools on Sept. 7. They can be downloaded from the AAUW website: http://aauw-hi.aauw.net. Registration is capped at 160, “so reserve your spot early,” says the GEMS statement.
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| Fifth-grade girls from Kaʻū are invited to sign up for the Girls Exploring Math & Science event. Registration opens Sept. 7. Photo from GEMS |
Interested fifth-grade girls should return the registration form ASAP to be part of this GEMS day. Each girl will select three workshops. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, along with a special GEMs bag. The final postmark deadline is Friday, Oct. 6. Space is limited. Registration is $20 and scholarships are available. No one will be turned away due to financial need. For more info or if you wish to sponsor a girl: call Cindy at 808-896-7180 or email billandcindyarmer@gmail.com.
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| County Council member Michelle Galimba joins county R&D Chief Doug Adams Sept. 1 in Ocean View. |
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MICHELLE GALIMBA, COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR KAʻŪ AND SOUTH KONA THROUGH VOLCANO, will co-host a community meeting at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1 at Ocean View Community Center. Her co-host is the Director of the County's Department of Research & Development, Douglass Shipman Adams. They will update the community on County matters in relation to energy, agriculture, broadband access and related topics and answer questions.
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