Closures, cancellations announced ahead of Hurricane Iselle’s arrival

Editor’s note: The following list includes information regarding closures in anticipation of Hurricane Iselle. The information was submitted to West Hawaii Today by the various agencies and organizations. To submit a closure, email cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com.

Schools

• All Kamehameha Schools educational programs and offices on Hawaii Island will be closed on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in anticipation of Hurricane Iselle. This includes the campus at Keaau, Kamehameha Schools Preschools islandwide, Resource Centers in West and East Hawaii, and other business sites.
• Public schools on Hawaii Island will be closed Thursday and Friday, with a few schools closing at 2 p.m. Wednesday, state Department of Education officials. This means all afterschool activities for students and staff are canceled at these schools, as well as any scheduled public meetings.

• Kanu O Ka Aina and Malamapokii preschool will be closed on Thursday and Friday. All after-school and evening programs as well as community programs scheduled at Kauhale ‘Oiwi o Puukapu located at 64-1043 Hiiaka Street, in Waimea, have also been cancelled.

• The University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii Community College, along with its West Hawaii Education Center on Hawaii Island will be closed all day on Thursday, Aug. and Friday, Aug. 8, due to anticipated severe weather caused by hurricanes Iselle and Julio.

Parks/Trails/Campgrounds

• Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park and Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park will be closed until further notice.
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will remain open, but park officials are closing all backcountry areas and some roads.Park officials will close the following areas as of 6 p.m. Wed., Aug. 6.: Chain of Craters Road, from Devastation Trail parking lot to the coast; all backcountry areas, including Mauna Loa and cabins; Mauna Loa Road (known locally as “Mauna Loa Strip Road”); all coastal areas and trails, including, Apua Point, Keauhou, Halape, and Kaaha; Kulanaokuaiki campsite; Napau campsite; and Namakanipaio campgrounds (the A-frame cabins will remain open). Additional closures may be warranted as the storm gets closer. Kilauea Visitor Center and Jaggar Museum will close at 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8. Closures will remain in effect until the storm has passed and conditions are safe.
• Puukohala Heiau National Historic Site will be closed at least Thursday.

• All Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife managed lands, including forest reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, natural area reserves, Na Ala Hele hiking trails, game management areas, including Keanakolu cabins, Ainapo hiking trail, Muliwai trail and Waimanu valley campground will be closed until further notice. All Division of State Parks facilities on the Big Island will also close at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

• All Hawaii County Parks and Beach Parks will not open Thursday and will remain closed until further notice.

State/County/Federal offices and services

• Hawaii Island state Courthouses will close at noon on Thursday, Aug. 7 through Friday, Aug. 8. The closures include the Children’s Justice Centers, Offices of the Public Guardian, and Driver’s Education Offices on Hawaii Island.

  The Chief Justice issued an order extending deadlines for any Hawaii Island court matters with a filing or hearing date of Thursday, Aug. 7 or Friday, Aug. 8. All documents due during the closure will be considered timely if filed by the close of business on Monday, Aug. 11. Hearings or trials cancelled due to the closure will be rescheduled to the next available date. Big Island courthouses are expected to reopen on Monday morning for business.

• State offices on Hawaii Island will close at noon Thursday, Aug. 7, and remain closed all day Friday, Aug. 8. Employees affected by the closing of these offices should not report to work, except for departmental disaster/emergency coordinators, disaster response workers, and employees whose work involves continuing crucial operations and services, such as hospital and correctional workers. Employees who fall into one of these categories are required to report to work.

• State Department of Agriculture inspection offices on Hawaii Island will be closed from noon Thursday through Friday. Travelers who require Plant Quarantine inspection to transport non-domestic animals and propagative plants from Hawaii Island to other islands over the weekend should schedule inspections prior to noon Thursday. Non-domestic animals include birds, rats, mice, chinchillas and guinea pigs. Call 326-1077 for the Kona inspection office and 974-4141 for the Hilo inspection office.
• Hawaii County offices will close at noon Thursday, Aug. 7, and remain closed all day Friday, Aug. 8. Essential employees whose work involves continuing crucial operations and services will remain on the job. These employees have been identified by their departments and are required to report to work.
• All Hawaii County solid waste transfer stations and both the Hilo and Puuanahulu Landfill will close at noon, Thursday, Aug. 8. The stations are slated to open Friday, weather permitting.
• All Hele-On buses are scheduled to operate as normal on Thursday and Friday. However, due to heavy rains and potential road closures, bus routes may be canceled with little or no notice. Please prepare for alternative transportation during this hurricane event. Delays are expected.
• Senior Nutrition Programs and Elderly Recreation Program activities are canceled Thursday and Friday. Van service provided by Coordinated Services for the Elderly has been suspended for Thursday and Friday.
• The Hawaii County Committee on the Status of Women has cancelled its meeting scheduled for Friday.
• The Board of Land and Natural Resources meeting scheduled for Friday, Aug. 8, has been cancelled due to the approaching storms. Items on this agenda will be deferred to the Aug. 22 meeting.
• All public libraries on the Big Island will be closed Thursday.
• All Office of Hawaiian Affairs are closed on the Big Island and Maui on Thursday and Friday.
• U.S. Postal Service management in Honolulu has issued a directive for all 28 postal facilities on the island of Hawaii to close by noon Thursday. Postal Service management is closely monitoring the path and impact of the hurricane and will make additional decisions regarding adjustments to postal operations on other islands as needed.
• State Legislative offices will be closed on Friday, Aug. 8. All nonessential legislative personnel are being asked to stay at home and off the roads. The State Capitol will also be closed on Saturday, Aug. 9 as both house chambers will be used by the Office of Elections as its Control and Counting Center Operations. Normal office hours are expected to resume on Monday, August 11th unless otherwise directed.
• All Hele-On bus services ended at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Buses will not operate on Friday. The county will assess the situation and make a determination at a later point on whether to resume service on Saturday.

PTA

• Pohakuloa Training Area has cancelled all hunting within the U.S. Army training area because of the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Iselle.

Events

• Kahilu Theatre has rescheduled its Family Fun Day celebrating the 2014-2015 Season Launch from this Sunday Aug. 10 to Saturday, Aug. 23. Schedule and more details on the Family Fun Day and new season are available on www.kahilutheatre.org or by calling 885-6868.
• The Hawaii County Democratic Party’s Grand Rally is canceled for Friday.
• All meetings this week at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12122 in Kailua-Kona are canceled.

Organizations

• Planned Parenthood of Hawaii Health Centers in Kona will be closed on Friday, Aug. 8. Weather permitting, the Kona center will resume regular hours on Monday, Aug. 11. All patients are urged to call (808) 589-1149 or check for updates at pphi.org.

• The Kona Community Hospital Auxiliary meeting slated for Aug. 9 has been postponed. For further information, visit KCHAuxiliary.org

Airlines

• Hawaiian Airlines has moved its Maui-Los Angeles flight up by nearly 5 hours and cancelled evening flights in Hilo, Kona and Maui on Thursday, Aug. 7 due to the expected landfall of Hurricanes Iselle and Julio.
• Island Air will suspend all flights on Friday. Some flights have been suspended on Thursday between Honolulu and Lanai and Honolulu and Maui.
• American Airlines flight 246 from Kona to Phoenix was cancelled. In addition, American Airlines cancelled flights between Los Angeles and Kona, between Los Angeles and Kahului and between Kahului and Los Angeles.
• Delta Airlines has cancled two flights originating from Los Angeles to Kona and Kahului.

Businesses

• Hawaii Electric Light Co.’s Customer Service and Engineering offices will be closed to walk-in customers and calls on Thursday, Aug. 7, to allow employees to complete final preparations for expected impacts from Hurricane Iselle. Customers may call 969-6666 to report power outages and downed power lines.

• Both of Central Pacific Bank’s branches on the Big Island will be closing early on Thursday, Aug. 7. The Hilo and Kailua-Kona branches will be open from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and all other CPB branches will remain open for normal business hours. The status of branch operating hours for Friday will be announced following further assessment of the situation. All CPB ATMs will be available and online banking customers can still conduct transaction on the Central Pacific Bank website or mobile services.

• All eight First Hawaiian Bank Branches on the Big Island – Hilo, Honokaa, Kamehameha, Kamuela, Kealakekua, Kona, Pahoa, and Waikoloa, — will close early Thursday, Aug. 7 at 11 a.m. Branches are expected to open for business as usual on Friday, Aug. 8 once it has been deemed safe and any potential damages have been assessed.

• Hawaiian Telcom closed its Big Island operations at noon Thursday so employees can prepare for the expected impacts from Hurricane Iselle. Customers may continue to call Hawaiian Telcom’s Consumer Sales Center at 643-3456 and report service issues to its 24-Hour Service Center at 643-6111.

• All American Savings Bank Big Island branches closed at noon Thursday. Among the closures are Hilo, Kailua-Kona, Kealakekua, Prince Kuhio Plaza, and Waimea.

• All 11 Bank of Hawaii branches on Hawaii Island closed at 11 a.m. Thursday. Online banking and ATM services will continue to operate unless power interruptions are experienced. Branches will reopen when operations are determined to be safe for employees and the public.

• The Hawaii Medical Service Association closed all of its offices on Hawaii Island at noon Thursday. The closures include the HMSA Center in Hilo and the Kailua-Kona office on Henry Street. HMSA said it will assess the situation and determine when offices will reopen.

• Hawaii Electric Light Co.’s Kona, Waimea and Hilo customer service offices will be closed Friday, Aug. 8. Customers should continue to call 969-6666 to report power outages and downed power lines.

• Servco Insurance Services located in Hilo will be closed on Friday. Customers with automotive sales or service appointments scheduled for Friday that have not been contacted already, should call 808-564-1150 to reschedule. For appointments scheduled Saturday through Monday, Servco advises customers to call to reconfirm prior to going to their appointment.