Saturday, December 27, 2008

Mayor Calls on Obama During Hawaiian Blackout

Parts of Hawaii, including where Obama is staying, had a blackout last night, which followed a thunder storm. The blackout is over.
ABC: Crews gradually restored electrical service across parts of Oahu on Saturday after a power failure blacked out the island's population of about 900,000 and thousands of visitors including President-elect Barack Obama.

Residents had been urged to just stay home after the lights went out during a thunderstorm Friday evening. Hawaiian Electric Co. was investigating the cause.

Service had been restored to about 180,000 of the utility's 295,00 customers by 8:30 a.m. Saturday, power company officials said.

Obama, wife Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha are staying in a $9 million, five-bedroom oceanfront home near downtown Honolulu.

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann told The Associated Press that while he did not talk with Obama directly, he had conveyed an offer for assistance shortly after the blackout began and was told the president-elect and his family were doing fine.

"He replied he didn't need anything, was grateful for our offer and was going to put his family to bed," Hannemann said.