Power back on in Hawaii Kai, Waimanalo

Power was restored to about 14,000 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers in Hawaii Kai after an outage that started at about 1:30 p.m., HECO reported.

Crews restored power in Hawaii Kai shortly before 3:30 p.m., HECO spokesman Darren Pai said. Preliminary indications are that high winds were affecting power lines along mountain tops, he said.

Meanwhile, the city announced it had reopened Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, which was closed shortly after the power outage when the facility’s comfort stations were disabled.

HECO said at 3:45 p.m. that power had also been restored to about 400 Waimanalo customers. About 1,600 customers there lost power about 12:30 p.m. apparently because of high winds.

Ige to take part in discussion on security

Gov. David Ige arrived in Washington, D.C., on Thursday for the winter meeting of the National Governors Association.

Ige serves on the association’s Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, and will join in a panel discussion on Sunday. The governors will also meet with President Obama at the White House.

In addition to the NGA meetings, Gov. Ige plans to meet with federal transportation, health and housing administration officials in an effort to maximize Hawaii’s share of federal dollars, according to a written statement issued by the governor’s office. Elizabeth Kim, Ige’s special adviser, will attend these meetings with him.

Ige also intends to meet with U.S. Army officials to express his commitment to strengthening the state’s relationship with the military, according to the statement.

Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui will be acting governor until Ige’s return Wednesday evening.