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A winter storm that hit the Big Island on Christmas Day closed access to and from Hilo and caused major power outages, but also brought snow to Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.
Many ventured up Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea in four-wheel-drive vehicles for a white Christmas. And there was hope the snow might be good enough for skiing today.
No serious damage was reported on other islands as the storm that brought the downpour moved off the Big Island yesterday.
By late yesterday afternoon, roadways were cleared and power was restored to most of the affected areas on the Big Island.
“We’re in pretty good shape,” said Hilo Civil Defense Director Harry Kim, “except for Ka‘u district, where extensive damage was done due to high water that left a deep hole in the main link between Pahala and Naalehu.”
State highway crews were meeting the Ka‘u Sugar Co. officials to look for a way to bypass the destroyed roadway through canefields.
Roadblocks set up between the two points left 24 persons, who went on a Christmas Day picnic to Punalu‘u, stranded. They spend Christmas night at the Punalu‘u resort.
“The only good thing that has come from the storm,” Kim said, “was snow atop Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. About 8 to 11 inches of the white fluff covered the summits down to an altitude of 12,500 feet.”
Tom Kreiger, the Mauna Kea superintendent for the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy, said about 100 to 125 four-wheel-drive vehicles jammed the road to the summit. He said the sun was fast melting the snow but, depending on the temperature overnight, might be good enough for skiing today.
The snow was really soft, very warm, clear and beautiful, said Lionel Chartrand, a worker who helped cleared the snow off the roads yesterday.
In the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, a large tree fell into isolated transmission lines causing a blackout from Mountain View to the Volcano House and golf course 11 p.m. Friday.
Hawaii Electric crews hiked into the area and power was restored to most of the homes by yesterday.
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