Kūhiō Highway Closures on North Shore Ongoing

Multiple agencies are responding to continuing severe weather impacts including attending to the needs of our isolated Hanalei to Hā‘ena communities. Officials are announcing the following additional updates.

Kūhiō Highway closures on the North Shore will be maintained as officials continue to assess the damage, conduct debris removal, and stabilize the slopes. Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) officials anticipate the earliest possible estimation, weather depending, for single lane emergency access on Kūhiō Highway is early next week.

Current Road Closures:

·Both lanes of Kūhiō Highway, at the Hanalei Hill, approaching Hanalei Bridge, remain closed due to a landslide.
·Kūhiō Highway, between Kolopua Apartments and Hanalei Plantation Road, remains closed out of an abundance of caution. This is the road above the Hanalei Hill site. HDOT officials have installed systems to monitor any movement in the road.
·Kūhiō Highway near Hanalei Bridge’s vicinity is closed due to flooding.
·One lane of Kūhiō Highway at mile marker 4.5 near Waikoko is currently open to alternating traffic.

Call the National Weather Service automated weather line at 808-245-6001 or weather updates, or visit the NWS website, www.weather.gov/hfo.

Refuse Service: Solid waste officials are currently unable to provide normal refuse collection service to households in the Hanalei to Hā‘ena areas, affected by the landslide. In anticipation of the County addressing immediate refuse needs once access to the area is established, residents in the impacted area are asked to start separating their putrescible waste so that the County can focus on initial removal of these items. Putrescible waste is solid waste that causes odors when decomposing such as food waste, animal waste, and diapers. This waste should be bagged and placed in County refuse carts. Other waste must also be bagged and set aside for future disposal efforts. Officials ask that residents also separate, secure, and hold their green waste, recyclables, and bulky waste until further notice, and use backyard composting bins to manage food waste as much as possible. For questions, call 808-241-4841.

Additionally, solid waste officials announce that all green waste facilities will be closed over the weekend as heavy rains are expected to continue and conditions will likely remain saturated at the sites.

Postal Services: The U.S. Postal Service announces that the Hanalei Post Office located at 5-5226 Kūhiō Highway on the North Shore is temporarily closed due to the road closures. The office will reopen as soon as access is restored and it is safe to do so. While the office is closed, affected Hanalei PO Box customers can pick up their mail at the Kīlauea Post Office, located at 2585 Ala Namahana Parkway. Updates on mail services for affected Hanalei-Hā‘ena residents will be announced as more information is available.

Health and vaccine information: Individuals who have COVID-19 vaccine appointments will be able to reschedule them. If necessary, extra clinic dates will be added to accommodate them. CDC guidelines recommend receiving your second dose within 42 days of the first dose, but if that is not possible, appointments can still be scheduled later. It is never necessary to repeat the first dose.

If the highway cannot be reopened in a timely manner, the Department of Health will work with the County of Kaua‘i and healthcare partners to bring vaccine to the North Shore communities.

Food and Medical Supplies: Food supplies are available at stores and food pantries in the affected areas. The county continues to work on bringing in additional food and medical supplies for the community as needed.

Damage Assessments: The county is continuing to conduct assessments of storm-affected areas across the island. If your home suffered damages due to the March flooding, visit www.kauai.gov/kema and click on the green link “March 2021 Rain Damage/Flood Reporting” to complete a form. The information you provide will help to gather necessary data which may be used to determine whether or not certain federal aid is made available to residents of Kaua‘i and/or the State of Hawai‘i. For assistance on how to fill out the form,  call KEMA at 808-241-1800.

Power Outages: The Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) advises its Hanalei members that a scheduled outage began at 9 a.m. today. It was expected to last approximately two hours, but could be longer depending on weather conditions and other factors. The outage includes members in Ching Young Village up to Waikoko and will include members on Weke Road. The outage is necessary for crews to complete repairs related to an outage that occurred on Thursday, March 11.

The KIUC Facebook page will provide status reports, and the outage map on the homepage of the cooperative’s website is another resource for current information: www.kiuc.coop.

For the latest updates on brown water advisories, visit DOH’s Clean Water Branch website at http://health.hawaii.gov/cwb/. The public is advised to stay out of floodwaters and stormwater runoff due to possible overflowing cesspools, sewer, manholes, pesticides, animal fecal matter, dead animals, pathogens, chemicals, and associated flood debris. Do not allow children to play in floodwater areas. Continue to practice good personal hygiene by washing off with soap and clean water and washing hands before handling food.