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+--- Thread: More update specifics needed on power, phone, etc (/showthread.php?tid=14184)
More update specifics needed on power, phone, etc - robguz - 08-10-2014
I am surprised to find little in terms of specifics anywhere online about restoring services. If anyone has links or official word from those in charge please post.
1. Cell coverage is out where I live. Which towers are affected, which carriers, who is coordinating this and what is the timeline? Civil defense just told me they didn't know cell service was out and that no one at the county level is working with carriers, they just wait to hear from them. Perhaps not true, but there should be specifics.
2. Hawaiian Telcom. Any specifics on restoring service. What are they doing, how many workers, etc.
3. Last HELCO update is nearly 24 hours ago. What are the shortages, what is being done to address them? What are the governor and mayor doing to accelerate this? By now there must be some estimate of downed poles, lines, etc and how many can be fixed per hour, day,etc. how is this being coordinated and prioritized? I think the lack of info is only feeding frustration. How many workers are being brought in, when, and for how long? Are there enough tree cutters and utility trucks and if not are they being shipped from Oahu?
It seems to me if 25,000 tourists in Waikiki or Wailea had no power or water for 3 days it would be on the local news nonstop and we would know what exactly the governor and mayor are doing. The governor had time to wave signs yesterday so I'm guessing this isn't greatly occupying his time. I don't see any story about storm recovery on the first StarAdvertiser page.
Without this info the problem of people being greatly frustrated will only worsen and rumors take on life. A month without power for Kehena? A daily HELCO update that says it may be days, weeks, who knows, is not very useful.
I think the other part of this is that there are many people working long hours away from home and families. Knowing how many and the details of the challenges they face seems needed so they get the credit and attention they deserve.
RE: More update specifics needed on power, phone, etc - Rob Tucker - 08-10-2014
Where is Billy Kenoi?
RE: More update specifics needed on power, phone, etc - missydog1 - 08-10-2014
Very good questions.
Re coverage, you might contact Ben Gutierrez of Hawaii News Now who was sent over here for the storm and might still be on island. He was in Pahoa covering the election and the giveaway yesterday. He seems like a very solid guy to me.
Email:
bgutierrez@hawaiinewsnow.com
RE: More update specifics needed on power, phone, etc - macuu222 - 08-10-2014
We're leaving for LA tonight on United. Neighbor will text me when power returns
RE: More update specifics needed on power, phone, etc - missydog1 - 08-10-2014
Sorry to state the obvious, but you know how it is here on Sunday. Not much happens. I expect HELCO will get back onto its statement routine tomorrow.
HELCO's statement did state the priorities. It said that the backbone of the main transmission system is broken, and the first thing to do is restore the health of the grid, and some of these key lines are in remote inaccessible areas.
They have to do that first before they can address lateral line issues, and they don't know how long it will take to get this part done, so they don't have anything exact other than a week or longer.
Honestly, I think any specific timeframe they gave right now would be feeding people BS.
I agree with you 100% about how it would be if this were Waikiki or really anywhere on Oahu.
I'm not defending the attitude, but OTOH, part of choosing to live on the fringe where people leave you alone, is that people are used to not thinking about you, which is how you like it most of the time. Then when you need them they are slow to respond.
I live on the fringe as well and have a history of picking such places. I've lived places where storms cut off all the roads connecting us to the main centers, and where power went out for days. I even had my house burn to the ground in the middle of such a disaster, and got no help other than a dry spot from a kind neighbor. So I do understand the difficulty, and not minimizing it at all.
RE: More update specifics needed on power, phone, etc - robguz - 08-10-2014
Another issue is lack of generators. Was just at Sears and they are out statewide. Is any official monitoring this or expediting getting more of them to Puna? My fear is no one. Isn't the whole purpose of disaster funding to coordinate and address these kinds of things? Is there a boat or plane full of generators on its way? There should be. I already have one so am not concerned for myself but there are thousand who could use them and may need them for weeks. I'm sure there are lots of other details like this that could be addressed and there is no information as to whether anyone is addressing them or that they are on anyone's radar.
I am surprised there hasn't been a daily press conference with the mayor and/or governor addressing all of these issues. I would think it would work their benefit and improve their public standing.
Also the latest HELCO is much more detailed and they are planning on having timelines by Monday! http://www.hawaiielectriclight.com/helco/_hidd
RE: More update specifics needed on power, phone, etc - dparker - 08-10-2014
Are there any Helco crews working in UpperPuna area? N Kulani, Ihope road
Diane Parker
RE: More update specifics needed on power, phone, etc - Obie - 08-10-2014
PUNA, BIG ISLAND (HawaiiNewsNow) -
The Hawaii Police Department has received information that members of the public have been confronting work crews from HELCO that are attempting to restore power to the lower Puna area.
HELCO personnel, along with personnel from various County departments, are continuing to address the electrical power and road issues that were caused by Hurricane Iselle and will continue to do so until all roads are accessible and electricity has been restored to all island residents.
The police department asks residents to remain calm and be patient. Confrontations will only delay these personnel from accomplishing these goals.
An estimated 9,200 customers remain out of power in Hawaiian Paradise Park, Puna, Orchidland Estates, Leilani Estates, Nanawale, Kapoho, Kalapana, Hawaiian Beaches, Hawaiian Shores, and Waipunahina. In addition, there are outages affecting smaller pockets of customers of customers in areas from Hamakua through Volcano. Read more here, including tips for what to do during an extended power outage.
RE: More update specifics needed on power, phone, etc - snorkle - 08-10-2014
Remain calm......
Prepare for the next emergency.......
Work towards becoming independent of HELCO's obsolete 19th Century technology...........
RE: More update specifics needed on power, phone, etc - KeaauRich - 08-10-2014
As the husband of a County official who has been working non-stop since the storm, I can tell you that Billy, his staff, the civil defense folks and the utility crews working to bring normalcy back to Puna deserve a lot more credit and a lot less sniping than they are receiving. They are taking a large amount of abuse from the very people they are trying to help. And work on restoring their personal properties has been put on the back burner while they focus on restoring services to the general public.
When times are good, we boast about loving our rural lifestyle and accept the inconveniences inherant in living isolated from much of the world. We complain about tax rates that are already comparatively low and we expect personnel and material resources to be kept at a minimum. But suddenly when disaster strikes, we then expect mainland-style responsiveness and instant gratification availability of resources to fix all our problems.
My husband was on one of the damage assessment helicopter flights, and he noted that from the ground level, you see the damage in your yard, your neighborhood. It's only from the air that you truly get a sense of how big the problem is, how widespread the devistaion is, and what a tremendous job it is going to be to bring utilities and services back to pre-storm levels. I'm sure in the days ahead County and utility officials will be able to do a better job of predicting and communicating how long repairs will take. But it's hard to be specific at this point when a) you don't know how bad the situation is and where the problems are, b) don't know how long it will take to procure the staff and materials necessary to rebuild substantial amounts of utility backbone infrastructure and c) you have to spend valuable time responding to hoards of individuals who think their individual situation takes precidence over every other local citizen. They are simultaneously trying to rebuild complex utility systems and clear roadways while trying to ensure that residents have access to ice, tarps and hot showers.
Communications vacuums are terrible things, I agree. But it's not helpful to assume that nothing is being done just because you aren't aware of all that's being done, or to assume that someone with no experience in disaster recovery is a more credible source than professionals. And as someone who has been intimately involved in post-disaster utility recovery efforts, I can assure you that although today is Sunday, for recovery crews it is not a day of rest.
We need to be patient, we need to do what we can to help our neighbors, and we need to appreciate all that is being done rather than spinning our wheels speculating on how things "coulda/shoulda/should be" addressed.