Kihei Roadways Clogged as Visitors Look to Charge Phones {NRL}

KIHEI, South Maui - South Kihei Road on Monday morning was clogged ~ by accumulated rainwater from the big overnight storm, but also by motorists wandering around looking for somewhere to plug in their mobile phones.

"If I would have known the power would still be out, I wouldn't have diddled around playing Words with Friends all night," said John Peterson of Seattle, who is staying in Kihei through the end of the week. "We all woke up this morning and realized, now we can't even get news on what's going on in this town."

Power was lost to most of Kihei on Sunday afternoon, and it remained out by late morning Monday.

Sandra Hoomākeaka, a clerk at a mid-Kihei gas station, noticed an early morning rush ~ and not for coffee or snacks. "A lot of them were filling up with gas to go to Kahului to charge their phones. They were kind of crazed. A lot of them asked if we had plugs. I had to tell them, ahem, our power is out, too."

Maui County transportation officials noted a significant increase in traffic on Piilani Highway (State Route 31) northbound through the east side of Kihei on Monday, as motorists fled to Maalaea and even Kahului to charge phones.

"We figured traffic would be lighter considering how much it rained the night before," said Fred Tuinei, traffic data coordinator for the county's Department of Transportation. "But the figures told another story. Then we heard all the plugs at Queen Kaahumanu Center in Kahului were full, and lines were forming at the plugs and at those  sit-down massage thingies where you can plug in phones, and it confirmed our suspicions."

Elsewhere around the island, county workers assessed damage from the big "Kona low" storm, a type of seasonal cyclone.

The portion of Piilani Highway that extends along the island's south side, often called the "back road" to Hana, was closed by county public works crews Monday at Pahihi Gulch, near Huakani Bay.

National Weather Service issued a series of flood watch notifications starting Sunday, and kept the flood watch through Tuesday for all islands. They warned there was potential for “catastrophic flooding.”

About forecast 10 to 15 inches of rainfall is forecast by NWS for the storm.

Meanwhile in Kihei on Monday afternoon, visitors and residents hoped for the return of electricity.

"I have all these photos I need to post to Facebook as soon as possible," said Sally McKnight of San Francisco, visiting for two weeks. "It's hard to wait around when there is so much to post."