More than 200 Hawaiian Electric repair crew members, technicians and system operators are working non-stop on three islands to restore electricity to the last groups of customers still without power after windstorms and torrential rain caused damage across the state.
“We know some people haven’t had electricity for several days and we know they’re frustrated,” said Scott Seu, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric. “Some people are also frustrated that we haven’t been able to give them a firm estimate on when the lights will come back on. I want to acknowledge that frustration and assure you that our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible under challenging conditions. I know it’s been hard but thank you for hanging in, we really appreciate your patience and understanding.”
As of this 1 p.m., an estimated 3,200 customers are still without power: 400 on Oahu, 200 on Maui and 2,600 on Hawaii Island. While most will be restored today, customers who are still without power should plan for the potential of at least another day without electricity.
- Oahu: Service has been restored to about 80% of customers who lost power in downtown Honolulu after major flooding at the Iwilei substation damaged three transformers Monday. Underground crews also replaced 300 feet of high-voltage flood-damaged cable yesterday and today continue to make repairs to restore power to remaining customers, including several office buildings and condominiums.
- Downtown Honolulu customers whose power has been restored may experience brief outages today as crews work to test circuits and restore remaining customers. The underground system in downtown Honolulu is one of the most complex of Hawaiian Electric’s grids, and crews are going from vault to vault to repair equipment.
- Maui: Crews are continuing work today to restore power to customers in pockets of Pukalani, Kula, Haiku, Wailuku, Lahaina and Hana. The Haleakala Crater summit will remain without power for an extended time due to downed power lines.
- The storm caused significant damage to the island’s transmission system and hundreds of distribution and individual service line were outages scattered throughout the island. In some cases, there is unsafe access due to the terrain with multiple large, downed trees blocking roads that needed to be removed ahead of repairs, as well as storm runoff water in gulches. Crews are hiking in by foot with gear and repair equipment to make repairs in the upper Kula area because it cannot be safely accessed by helicopter or off-road vehicles at this time.
- Hawaii Island: Crews are continuing damage assessments and responding to widespread outages in Puna and Kona. Puna areas include Leilani Estates, Eden Roc Estates, Nanawale, Hawaiian Beaches, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Ainaloa, Kurtistown, Fern Acres, and Volcano. Kona areas include Kailua, Kaloko, Holualoa, Captain Cook, and Kealia.
- The majority of outages involve trees that have fallen into power lines. Crews sometimes need to trim or clear trees before they can begin repairs. Hawaiian Electric works with state, county and contract tree trimmers to remove fallen trees and large trees that are blocking roadways
There were no significant damage or outages on Molokai and Lanai.
Several more crews from Oahu arrived on Maui and Hawaii Island this morning to assist with outage restoration. An estimated 200 employees are solely focused on restoration work.
It’s important to note that new outages often occur after a storm, with more trees falling into power lines because the ground is over-saturated.
Call volume has been heavy and we apologize to customers who have had a hard time getting through. We encourage customers to continue reporting electric hazards, such as downed power lines or poles. We will post power restoration updates on our social media channels as soon as that information is available.
UPDATE:
About eight buildings in downtown Honolulu will remain without electricity at least through tonight. Hawaiian Electric crews have been working to repair high-voltage underground cables that were damaged by flooding during Monday’s torrential rain.
As of 5 p.m., more than 900 customers in the downtown area have been restored. One key circuit, which provides electricity to seven large buildings downtown, including the federal building, remains out of service.
Crews today identified additional damage – a blown splice – on the underground line for that circuit. In order to repair the splice on the high-voltage line, water inside the manhole needed to be pumped out. However, storm drains in the area are clogged, causing water to pour back into the manhole every time the crews pumped water out. At least three truckloads of water had to be pumped, delaying repair work.
Once the damaged splice was removed, crews discovered that water had damaged the cable. Additional crews were brought in to remove the damaged line and install new cable. The repair is expected to take several hours. Once completed, system operators will begin testing in hopes of restoring power to customers incrementally, to avoid overloading the circuit.
Hawaiian Electric appreciates customers’ continued patience and understanding as crews work as fast as possible while ensuring the safety of the public and their teammates.
Emergency repairs in Peahi area requires power outage tonight
Hawaiian Electric crews will need to make emergency repairs in the Peahi area requiring a scheduled outage affecting about 1,900 customers from Peahi to East Maui, this evening, Dec. 8, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. tomorrow. Customers in the Haiku area can expect to experience an initial outage between 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. tonight and again tomorrow morning between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. Times are dependent on the progress of work involved.
For the safety of our crews and the public, electric service must be interrupted so crews can safely make repairs to a pole that was damaged during the recent severe weather events.
To prepare for this outage, Hawaiian Electric suggests the following:
- Turn off and unplug sensitive electronic equipment such as televisions and computers to avoid damage in case of a surge when power is restored.
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible during the outage to maintain proper food temperatures.
- Have a backup plan and charge necessary electronic devices if anyone in your household works from home, participates in distance learning, or uses life support equipment.
Mahalo for your understanding and patience as crews work to make these urgent repairs to maintain safety of service to the area.