Strong wind wreaks havoc across islands

Expect sunnier skies Sunday after strong winds and bad weather disrupted flights, left thousands of electric customers in the dark, caused havoc with utility equipment, downed trees and utility poles, blocked roads and damaged roofs on Saturday.

The National Weather Service said a cold front causing the bad weather was making its way eastward and showed signs of weakening Saturday afternoon. The front was due to reach Hawaii island overnight, leaving drier conditions in its wake.

Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Kevin Mokulehua said from midnight to about 7 p.m. Saturday, firefighters responded to 70 blown roofs, seven downed power lines, 29 downed trees and four other wind-related incidents, such as a rain gutter touching a power line and dislodged solar panels.

He said all the blown roofs and downed power lines occurred in Windward Oahu, while one or two fallen trees were in Mililani.

The American Red Cross sent volunteers to two homes with blown roofs in Kaneohe on Saturday morning, according to a news release. One family was given temporary shelter until repairs can be made to their home.

The Red Cross will also be conducting wind damage assessments on Oahu and Maui on Sunday.

Police closed Kunia Road, Kaukonahua Road in Waialua, and Kawailoa Road in Kailua because of downed utility poles or trees.

Wind gusts reached 36 mph at Hono­lulu Airport on Saturday morning and remained in the 20 mph range throughout the day. At about 7 p.m., the strongest winds in the state were at the summit of Haleakala with gusts of 59 mph and 46 mph winds.

Seven people were hurt during sudden turbulence on a United Airlines flight from Newark, N.J., to Honolulu, according to Tim Sakahara, state Department of Transportation spokesman.

He said four crew members were taken to the Queen’s Medical Center after Flight 15 landed about 4 p.m. Saturday. A teenage girl was also taken to the hospital with a head injury and for nausea. Two other injured crew members declined transport to the hospital.

Another United flight, 1716, which was bound for Los Angeles from Honolulu, was diverted to Maui because of fumes in the cockpit, but then had to return to Honolulu because of the bad weather, Sakahara said.

In addition, six flights heading to Maui were diverted to Honolulu and one flight was diverted to Kona because of the stormy weather, Sakahara said.

On Hawaii island, high winds were blamed for snapping a 36-strand Hawaiian Telcom fiber cable near Hualalai Ranch, leaving about 20,000 phone and 5,500 Internet customers without service from Waikoloa to Pahala in Kona, said utility spokeswoman Ann Nishida Fry.

The break was discovered about 3:30 p.m. Saturday in a remote wooded area, requiring technicians to clear the trees before pulling in about 350 feet of cable and splicing the ends together, Nishida Fry said.

Technicians would work overnight to restore service Sunday, she said.

Hawaii Electric Light Co. on was warning Hawaii island customers to prepare for extended power outages that could last into next week or longer because of wind damage. The areas affected are in Hawaiian Beaches, Hawaiian Shores, Kapoho, Nanawale and Leilani Estates.

The utility said ongoing windy conditions are making it unsafe for tree trimmers to clear roadways and for crews to make assessments and repairs after strong winds toppled trees and caused extensive damage to lines and poles.

By 5:30 p.m., some 5,000 customers were still without power on Hawaii island, the utility said.

Back on Oahu, thousands of customers were without power for hours Saturday. About 2,900 customers had no power in Kaaawa, Kailua, Maunawili, Punaluu, Kunia and Waipahu at 1 p.m., and 1,400 customers were still without power by 4:45 p.m., said Hawaiian Electric Co. spokesman Darren Pai.

Fire Department spokesman Mokulehua said a firefighter was injured Friday night while working on a blown roof in Kaneohe. He said the wind lifted the firefighter off his feet and he landed on the roof, but hit his head and lost consciousness.

Paramedics took the man, 51, to the hospital in serious condition with head, neck, lower back and hip injuries about 8 p.m., Mokulehua said. He said the firefighter was released about midnight.