Businesses and homes in Lihu’e went without power for 20 minutes Wednesday afternoon when a lightning arrestor at the Kaua’i Electric switchyard failed, possibly due to wet weather. The power outage occurred at 1:25 p.m. Full power was restored by
Businesses and homes in Lihu’e went without power for 20 minutes Wednesday afternoon when a lightning arrestor at the Kaua’i Electric switchyard failed, possibly due to wet weather.
The power outage occurred at 1:25 p.m. Full power was restored by 2:06, according to Kaua’i Electric spokeswoman Jenny Fujita.
The outage apparently had no major impacts. Traffic lights went out at various intersections, but there were no related traffic accidents reported by the Kaua’i County Police.
Some offices and stores either emptied or closed temporarily during the outage.
The arrest protects Kaua’i Electric’s equipment from lightning strikes. When the arrestor fails, it causes a short to ground, shutting down the delivery of power, Fujita said.
The lightning arrestor, which guards against lightning strikes, might have failed when rainwater seeped into insulating material that protects the device, she said.
Troubleshooters went over the equipment at the switchyard immediately after the outage started, Fujita said.
Representatives at the Lihu’e police station and the Lihu’e fire station said the outage didn’t affect services to the public.
The outage was the second for the Lihu’e area in the past seven days. Last Wednesday, power was out for about an hour around Rice and Hardy streets after an automobile collided with a utility pole. Homes, businesses and traffic lights were affected.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
