The Advertiser editorial -- “Waianae deserves infrastructure improvements” – noted as we did four days ago that last week’s storm wasn’t even a hurricane and asked its own questions:
“What will happen to isolated areas such as Waianae in the event of a real disaster, like a hurricane? Will HECO's poles collapse again? Will ambulances and other emergency vehicles be able to reach their destinations quickly? Will lack of power hamper residents' ability to get food and water? All of these issues are key to public safety, particularly during a major disaster.”
Hawaiian Electric Company did the right thing after Earthquake Sunday when it briefed the public at the State Capitol on why its system crashed on Oahu. A similar outreach to the public – especially to its customers along the Waianae Coast – seems indicated now.
Beyond being good customer relations, receiving testimony from residents presumably would help the company’s case if it ever chooses the expensive solution of undergrounding utility lines along the coast to reduce or eliminate the “utility pole problem” there.
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