3/13 & 14: Hawaii shuts down as powerful storm pummels islands

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Tree down across Paradise Drive & 30th.

Edited: 1 PM, looks like the resident chainsaw brigade made quick work of it.  Carry on.

[TomK]

Wind gusts on Mauna Kea are now over 140 mph. Steady winds well above 100 mph.

---

Not sure I've seen a warning quite like this one before, i.e., one that covers the entire island.

https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwat...hp?cwa=HFO&wwa=flash%20flood%20warning

"BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Honolulu HI
913 PM HST Sat Mar 14 2026

The National Weather Service in Honolulu has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
  The entire island of Hawaii in Hawaii County

* Until 100 AM HST.

* At 913 PM HST, radar indicated heavy rain over the entire Big
  Island of Hawaii. Rain was falling at a rate of 1 to 3 inches per
  hour. Several stream gauges remain above flood warning thresholds
  island-wide. Flash flooding is ongoing with reports of highway
  closures and flooding in local communities."

[ironyak]

MyManao - So, what you think? On a day like today we all should have mini hydro systems in our downspouts? Or go old school and use stationary bikes and treadmills? Maybe get the hamsters involved?

All the above/whatever it takes? More clearly, recognizing one's reliance on technology & electricity might lead one to consider how to make sure those tools are still functional when nature take a pokes at our little civilizational conveniences. So if your phone is your communication, information, and entertainment device, make sure to have some way to feed it the electrons it needs, such as power banks kept charged up when the electrons are flowing and/or car chargers and/or portable solar that can be kept in the car and/or grab and go bags.

If your electrical dependencies are more extensive, then portable power stations provide larger batteries with all the charging/inverting hardware built in that can power phones, computers, medical devices, etc.. as needed.

Ultimately though, if the grid is down and the sun a'int sunning, and you absolutely require some electrons, then you can always burn the dinos as needed, with more flexible options being provided by dual-fuel generators which allows for easier long term storage of fuel in the form of propane.

toxins out of the supply chain.. minimize the landfill contribution.
Can you point to some resources highlighting a current assessment of these concerns? All electric tech has a long tailing pond cost, but at least solar panels give back more energy than they take, and outside of rare massive damage and breakage, panels should be able to find new uses as they age gracefully.

But geothermal is the powerhouse if we're talking grids with enough to encourage using more.. ie expanding the economy. And especially if we like to envision the airport being able to service an electrified international clientele.
The "economy" is overrated when its primary output is widespread environmental degradation that actually threatens civilization and the ability of the planet to support life. Maybe such a way of life doesn't need yet more energy put into it?

But if desired future is an all electric boogaloo for as long as it can last, then be sure to bury that main line from PGV to ITO so some absentee landlord's random junk tree doesn't take it out, stranding all the fancy jets and their setters with all their dreams and desires, not to mention inconveniencing the locals.

Given the outages, there's some tens of thousands of Punatics that hopefully are motivated to consider their electrical needs and options for future solutions that don't rely on someone getting around to providing electricity as long as it meets the profit margin requirements.

[TomK]

MyManao - So, what you think? On a day like today we all should have mini hydro systems in our downspouts? Or go old school and use stationary bikes and treadmills? Maybe get the hamsters involved?

All the above/whatever it takes? More clearly, recognizing one's reliance on technology & electricity might lead one to consider how to make sure those tools are still functional when nature take a pokes at our little civilizational conveniences. So if your phone is your communication, information, and entertainment device, make sure to have some way to feed it the electrons it needs, such as power banks kept charged up when the electrons are flowing and/or car chargers and/or portable solar that can be kept in the car and/or grab and go bags.

If your electrical dependencies are more extensive, then portable power stations provide larger batteries with all the charging/inverting hardware built in that can power phones, computers, medical devices, etc.. as needed.

Ultimately though, if the grid is down and the sun a'int sunning, and you absolutely require some electrons, then you can always burn the dinos as needed, with more flexible options being provided by dual-fuel generators which allows for easier long term storage of fuel in the form of propane.

toxins out of the supply chain.. minimize the landfill contribution.
Can you point to some resources highlighting a current assessment of these concerns? All electric tech has a long tailing pond cost, but at least solar panels give back more energy than they take, and outside of rare massive damage and breakage, panels should be able to find new uses as they age gracefully.

But geothermal is the powerhouse if we're talking grids with enough to encourage using more.. ie expanding the economy. And especially if we like to envision the airport being able to service an electrified international clientele.
The "economy" is overrated when its primary output is widespread environmental degradation that actually threatens civilization and the ability of the planet to support life. Maybe such a way of life doesn't need yet more energy put into it?

But if desired future is an all electric boogaloo for as long as it can last, then be sure to bury that main line from PGV to ITO so some absentee landlord's random junk tree doesn't take it out, stranding all the fancy jets and their setters with all their dreams and desires, not to mention inconveniencing the locals.

Given the outages, there's some tens of thousands of Punatics that hopefully are motivated to consider their electrical needs and options for future solutions that don't rely on someone getting around to providing electricity as long as it meets the profit margin requirements.

OK. Thanks for that.

In the meantime, the low-pressure system causing the storm seems to finally be moving. 140+ mph gusts at the summit still exist, and snow is still falling, but it seems the heavy rain and thunderstorms are moving east of the Big Island. There's still a lot of moisture in the atmosphere that will hit the island over the next day or two, but it seems the storm is starting to come to its end.

[randomq]

Beautiful still morning!

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

recognizing one's reliance on technology & electricity might lead one to consider how to make sure those tools are still functional when nature take a pokes at our little civilizational conveniences.

Last night when I saw an estimate of 117,000 customers out of power on Hawaii Island (not sure how accurate that was given the entire population is around 200,000?, and there are multiple people living at a single customer location, unless the report meant the approximate number of people?), we had a fully charged solar & battery system.  Internet worked, OTA antenna worked.  During the evening we watched KIKU for awhile with our antenna, then switched to the Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka (live!). We had regular updates from the internet about the storm. 

It is possible to ride out a major storm with solar and batteries.  If the internet had gone down (as it’s transmitted by wire), we would still have had OTA as long as the Hilo TV transmitters were working, and internet on our phones (with hot spot option) unless the cell towers went down.  Should all of that occur, we would have lights, books, conversation, music, video on DVD, etc.  These power systems work.

[macuu222]

Does anyone in HPP have power back. Ours went out  last night at 8pm and as of 10:16 am Sunday we are still out. We are on 5th and Makuu.  Our portable generator was good for lights and tv and Internet but not for the water pump or fridge. I'm dreading about looking inside the fridge.

[Durian Fiend]

I was up to VNP this AM and the place looks like it was hit by a hurricane. They obviously got hammered by more rain and wind then lower Puna. Crater rim drive was closed in the direction of the lava tube. Byron Ledge trail is practically impassible, heading from Volcano house down towards Halemaumau. There is so much tree debris everywhere. It's a sad situation. They may need extra funds or a lot of volunteer work to get the trails easily walkable again.

[kalianna]

Our power has stayed on in mid HPP for most of the storm, only brief outages. We got a mere 6" rain total with minimal wind damage. Got off easy here.

[leilanidude]

Last night when I saw an estimate of 117,000 customers out of power on Hawaii Island (not sure how accurate that was given the entire population is around 200,000?
---------
A customer is a home or business that has a meter. Population is not counted.