By HUNTER BISHOP By HUNTER BISHOP ADVERTISING Tribune-Herald staff writer An underground cable failed Thursday morning on Waianuenue Avenue, plunging Hilo High School into a powerless state. The lights went out at about 7:30 a.m., affecting half the campus, and
By HUNTER BISHOP
Tribune-Herald staff writer
An underground cable failed Thursday morning on Waianuenue Avenue, plunging Hilo High School into a powerless state.
The lights went out at about 7:30 a.m., affecting half the campus, and a Hawaii Electric Light Co. crew was on the scene at 8:27 a.m. said Roger Keller, HELCO distribution manager.
Power to the other half of the campus went out shortly before 10 a.m. so crews could fix the cable and “re-energize” the school, Keller said.
Minor disruptions to the school routine occurred throughout the morning and classes continued without interruption until approximately 12:15 p.m. when full power was restored to the campus, said Vice Principal Erin Williams. Hilo High has 1,245 students in grades 9 thought 12.
Primary concerns on campus during the outage were lunch preparation, operation of the restrooms, and student safety, Williams said. Hilo High’s cafeteria provides lunches for its own students as well as for the students at Kaumana and Keaukaha elementary schools. But the kitchen staff at the Hilo Intermediate School cafeteria, located across the street, was unaffected by the power outage and pitched in to help prepare about 1,000 meals in time for lunch at the schools, Williams said.
Toilets were operating and no health or safety issues were identified for students and staff, said Williams. “Everything’s functioning,” she said during the outage. “If there were any safety concerns that would be a consideration. We’ve been in constant touch with the district office.”
Several students passing by the main office wondered aloud to the staff about getting dismissed early. But no such luck.
“The kids are a little antsy,” Williams said, “but we’re telling them it’s business as usual. We’re going keep them in the classrooms to get their education.
“It’s good for teachers once in a while to use resources and backup plans to sharpen their teaching skills,” she added.
Only a few rooms at the school are air-conditioned, and those rooms have windows that can be opened when necessary, Williams said. “Those teachers are taking care of it.” Computer labs also went dark but teachers are using resources to connect with students without the use of electricity, she said.
Keller said about three feet of new cable had to be spliced into an underground line to restore the power. Initial reports that a transformer had blown up outside the school were incorrect. Keller said a fuse either in the line or in the transformer also needed to be replaced.
“I can’t say it’s common,” Keller said, “but any system in deterioration can have these kinds of occurrences.” Rodents may have chewed on the line causing damage, or water may have leaked into the casing that protects the underground cables, he said. Only Hilo High School was affected by the outage.
Email Hunter Bishop at hbishop@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
