Courtesy Hawaiian Electric
Courtesy Hawaiian Electric Company
Courtesy Hawaiian Electric Company
HONOLULU (Island News) – As Hurricane Lala moves across the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) crews are responding to weather-related outages affecting communities statewide, with more than 88,000 customers impacted.
HECO reported that four of its independent power providers disconnected from the electrical grid on Hawaii Island due to damage from the ongoing storm. As a result of this, HECO stated that it may need to “load shed,” which means the company may temporarily turn off power to customers to maintain system stability and prevent damage to generating units.
The temporary forced outages would only affect HECO customers on Hawaii Island. This is not part of the HECO’s Public Safety Power Shutoff Program.
Two of Hawaii Island’s largest independent power producers, Puna Geothermal Venture and Hamakua Energy Partners, as well as wind energy providers Hawi Renewable Development and Pakini Nui, are also unable to connect to the island’s grid.
As of 8 p.m., 910 customers are without power in Waiau and 1,290 without power in Wahiawa. Power was rewstored to a majority of Ewa customers by 8:30 p.m., with about 20 without electric.
As of 7 p.m. on Saturday, these statewide outages remain in effect:
Hawaii Island: 63,270 customers are without power, which includes all of the east side and south sides of the island plus Waimea and Honokaa. Wind gusts near 90 mph have been recorded in some areas as the storm stalled over the island. Multiple poles and structures were knocked down bywind-toppled trees on the Hamakua coast. These damages are along a 42-mile span of transmission lines, which will take HECO time to inspect and repair once the weather improves.Maui County: Approximately 15,260 customers are without power, which includes all of West Maui, parts of Upcountry and South Maui and Haiku. Customers are advised to prepare for extended overnight outages. Extreme wind gusts, sometimes topping 80 mph, have battered West Maui for much of the day, preventing any Damage assessments on the three transmission lines that serve West Maui are unable to start after extreme wind gusts, which sometimed reached up to 80 mph that battered the area. Crews had to pause work in Upcountry Maui due to trees and large tree limbs that fell onto roads.Oahu: Roughly 9,500 customers don’t have electricity throughout Aina Haina, Ewa Beach, Kaimuki, Kalihi, Mapunapuna, Manoa and Nuuanu. A major transmission line and half a dozen sub-transmission lines were damaged by high winds.
As of 6:40 p.m., about 910 customers are without power in the Kalihi area.
As of 5:30 p.m., power was restored to some customers in Manoa and Kaimuki, while power was restored to all customers in Aina Haina.
As of 4 p.m., over 44,000 customers are impacted by outages. Those outages include about 1,780 customers without power in the Ewa area as of 4:40 p.m. Power was restored to all customers in the Moanalua area as of 4:40 p.m.
Courtesy Hawaiian Electric
As of 3 p.m., on Saturday, approximately 32,300 customers are without power in Hilo, Kona, Kohala, Hamakua, and Puna. On the Hamakua coast, wind-toppled trees knocked down multiple poles and structures along a 42-mile span of transmission lines. Wind gusts upward of 70 mph have been recorded in parts of the island.
On Maui County, approximately 3,300 customers are without power in the Upcountry Maui, Haiku, and pockets in West and South Maui and Moloka’i. Extreme wind gusts, often upward of 780 mph, have been battering West Maui since around noon. In Upcountry Maui, crews had to pause work when trees fell in certain areas.
HECO reported that roughly 8,400 customers on Oahu don’t have electricity, specifically in areas such as Aina Haina, Kaimuki, Kalihi, Mapunapuna, Manoa, and Nu’uanu.
More than 42,000 customers across HECO’s service territory have had power restored on Saturday.
With wind gusts recorded at upwards of 60 miles per hour in parts of Hawaii Island and West Maui, HECO is urging customers to continue to plan for possible extended outages, potentially overnight, as Hurricane Lala makes its way westward across the island chain.
Officials with HECO confirmed that trees and debris blown into power lines have been the primary cause of the current outages. Crews have been making progress, restoring power to 20,240 customers on the Big Island and 730 in Maui County.
Courtesy Hawaiian Electric
HECO notes that damage assessments must be carried out prior to launching repairs and restoration efforts. The company advises customers to prepare for potential prolonged outages as the storm moves across the islands, with restoration prioritized to assist the largest groups of customers first.
HECO is working to keep outage maps and social media updated with information as it becomes available. Check HECO’s website or its mobile app for the latest outage information and estimated time of restoration.
View HECO’s trouble lines below to report any downed power lines, sparking electrical equipment, and more.
Hawaii Island: 1-855-304-9191Maui County: 1-855-304-8181Oahu: 1-855-304-1212
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