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State of emergency declared in Hawaii as storm leaves hundreds without power

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In a statement just after 10 p.m. Monday local time, Hawaiian Electric said crews were still working to restore electric service to “hundreds of customers” in downtown Honolulu and Chinatown.

However, it said that “because of the continued heavy rains,” power is not likely to be restored until Tuesday morning at the earliest.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu said the Kona low continued to “bring the threat of heavy rain to Kauai County and Oahu” overnight Monday and through Tuesday.

While the weather service said the “threat of significant flooding” had diminished in some parts of the islands, it said the possibility of “catastrophic flooding” was still a concern, with the “threats and impacts” of the storm “focused over the western half of the state.”

The weather service said “numerous landslides” could occur in areas with steep terrain, while “many roads could become impassable due to severe runoff and flooding.”

It added that the storm could also create “dangerous driving conditions due to near zero visibility.”

A number of schools were closed across the state Monday, and Hawaii County Mayor Mitchell Roth declared a state of emergency Sunday “due to the threat of imminent disaster.”

The Honolulu Fire Department said Monday that it rescued five boys, ages 9 to 10, from a raging stream.

Acting Deputy Fire Chief Sheldon Hao said at a news conference that crews had responded to dozens of “storm-related events,” including downed trees, arcing wires and roadway obstructions.



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