UPDATE 3/16, 6:35 p.m.: As of 5 p.m., reports Hawaiian Electric, 11,200 customers remain without power going into Monday evening. That's 1,100 on O‘ahu, about 4,500 in Maui County and 5,700 on Hawai‘i Island.
The utility adds a new warning — beware of scammers. "The community is advised to be aware of scammers who may pose as claims representatives," said the statement. "Hawaiian Electric will not contact customers to request personal information or direct customers to submit payment to reconnect service." Click here to file claims directly with Hawaiian Electric.
UPDATE 3/16, 1:25 p.m.: Customers without power are down to 940 on O‘ahu, 3,600 in Maui County and 8,000 on Hawai‘i Island, per a statement from Hawaiian Electric.
On Oʻahu "crews continue work to restore pockets across the island," the statement said. "This involves making repairs to individual service lines and verifying that each customer’s electrical connecting point is safe to receive power again.
In Maui County, "[C]rews are continuing damage assessments and repairs islandwide, including parts of Upcountry and East Maui as well as pockets of Hā‘ikū and Kīhei, where there are underground cable faults due to the heavy rains and flooding. Crews restored power to the majority of South Maui and Kula (from Ōmaʻopio Road area to Lower Kula Highway) as well as most of Hāna town. Customers in these restored areas who may still be without power, please report your outage online or to the Maui Country Trouble Line at 1-855-304-8181."
On Hawaiʻi Island, customers without power are "mostly in Puna and North Kona. Today, crews are working in Kea‘au, Kurtistown, Mountain View, Volcano, South Point, and North and South Kona. Damage assessment teams are working in lower Puna. In the hardest hit areas, restoration efforts are being slowed by numerous fallen trees, large branches and downed powerlines on roadways."
Some 350 crewmembers are in the field, said Hawaiian Electric. The utility warns that while the weather has improved, "unstable tress and branches may fall and cause new outages."
UPDATE 3/16, 5:15 a.m.: Hawaiian Electric's most recent update states that as of 9 p.m. Sunday evening:
"Oʻahu: About 7,000 customers are without power (3% of customers on island) The H-3 Freeway was reopened in both directions shortly after 6 p.m. after crews completed repairs to a major transmission line that crosses over traffic.
"Maui County: This evening, crews restored power to a majority of South Maui customers. Crews also brought back online a majority of Kula customers between the Ōmaʻopio Road area to Lower Kula Highway. About 4,600 customers (6% of customers on Maui) are currently without power, with the majority in Upcountry and East Maui.
"Hawaiʻi Island: About 14,500 customers (16% of customers) are without power in various areas around the island. Today, crews worked in Kea‘au, Kurtistown, Mountain View, Volcano, South Point, and North and South Kona. Two transmission lines also were repaired, and repairs to a third line are expected to be completed by tomorrow. Damage assessments were conducted in accessible areas in Kaloko, Holualoa, South Point, Volcano Village, Mauna Loa Estates, Royal Hawaiian Estates, and Nanawale Estates. In total, 30 damaged or broken poles were identified."
"Hundreds of Hawaiian Electric employees and contractors have been working non-stop to restore power to customers impacted by the destructive Kona Low storm," Hawaiian Electric said in the statement. "In many areas, toppled trees, branches and other debris must be cleared before damage assessments and repairs can begin. All customers are urged to stay prepared for potential extended outages."
UPDATE 3/14, 9 a.m.: Hawaiian Electric has released an update on power outages affecting its utilities in three counties, as of 8 a.m.
"Oʻahu: About 72,000 customers are without power in various locations across Oʻahu. A majority of those who don’t have electricity are in the windward and east Honolulu areas. Crews working through the night managed to get electricity back on for roughly 65,000 customers. Today, they will be attempting to restore two of the three storm-damaged high-voltage transmission lines that carry power from Leeward Oʻahu over the Koʻolau to Windward Oʻahu and east Honolulu. The third transmission line has been out of service since the Feb. 8 storm that damaged a structure near the top of the ridge. A specialized helicopter is needed to carry the necessary equipment to make the repairs, and it has not been available.
"Maui County: About 20,000 customers are without power in various areas, including South, Upcountry and East Maui. Restoration has been delayed by hazardous weather conditions and road closures.
"Hawaiʻi Island: About 19,000 customers are without power in Puna, North and South Kona, North Kohala, and South Point."
"Hawaiian Electric crews and contractors are out in force this morning, doing damage assessments and making repairs to restore roughly 111,000 customers who are without power on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island and in Maui County," the utility said in a statement. "Work is being done when conditions are deemed safe, as some areas are experiencing ongoing torrential rains and severe winds. All customers are asked to stay prepared for potential extended outages through the weekend as the storm continues to make its way across the state.
UPDATE 3/14, 6 a.m.: The National Weather Service was scheduled to downgrade statewide flood warnings to flood watches at 6 a.m. The flood watches will be in effect on Kauai until 6 p.m. today; on O‘ahu until 6 a.m., March 15; and for Maui and Hawai‘i counties until 6 a.m. March 16.
Hawaiian Electric announced that had restored power to 29,000 O‘ahu customers by 8:30 p.m. last night. Power outages continue ob O‘ahu, Maui and Molokai and Hawai‘i Island. On Kauai, just over 36,000 customers are without power according to Kauai Island Utility Cooperative.
HiEMA reports that Kaua‘i shelters are closed, while shelters remain open for O‘ahu, Maui County and Hawai‘i Island.
At around 5 a.m. this morning, O‘ahu Emergency Management lifted its evacuation notice for areas around Wahiawa Dam.
UPDATE 3/13, 7:06 p.m.:Local officials provided an update to media Friday evening.
Gov. Josh Green, Adjutant General Major General Stephen Logan and Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen shared a brief update about response to the ongoing storm.
“To summarize the impact has been enormous on the emergency medical personnel. Everyone has really been activated ... everyone's communicating, and we can ramp up our response, if necessary, even further with the National Guard,” Green said, adding that the storm will continue to be heavy through the night and into Saturday on Oʻahu before heading to Big Island.
To his knowledge, there have been no storm-related fatalities.
When asked about the total cost of damages for all recent storms, Green responded: “We do not yet have estimates. Anything that's over $5 million, I believe I'm able to appeal to the federal government for support, and we'll certainly do that. Right now, most of the costs are going to be related to just a large team of workers going around the clock 24/7 to make sure that we're all safe. ... We have resources, and the purpose of having the emergency proclamation actually frees up the use of resources for overtime [for] police, fire, all the workers that do recovery work.”
The City and County of Honolulu are monitoring the Wahiawā Dam area.
“I want no one to be surprised if we have to move people,” Green said. "That's the most important thing. Keep everybody safe and alive."
The Honolulu Festival has made some changes to its schedule over the weekend, in response to the severe weather. The following events planned for Saturday, March 14, are canceled: Waikīkī Beach Walk Stage, the Grand Parade and Nagaoka Fireworks Show. Events will continue as planned at Hawaiʻi Convention Center and Ala Moana Center. For additional updates, check the festival's website.
Recurring volunteer for the Honolulu Festival, Conrad Maranon, told Aloha State Daily, “We are all sad because the regular volunteers in Honolulu and Maui always looks forward to bring Daijayama (serpent) alive. But we can't fight mother nature! We all hope that 2027 will bring the same excitement and great weather for the Grand Parade and Firework Show!”
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply is urging O‘ahu residents to conserve water. "All residents, especially those without power, should keep water use to an absolute minimum and should not fill containers at this time," said BWS in a statement. "All BWS pumps need electricity to operate. During a power outage, the BWS will have limited ability to pump water out of its wells and other water sources and up to reservoirs. Until power can be restored, the water left in the reservoirs will be all that is available.
"After power is restored, the BWS asks that residents continue to conserve water, as time is required to allow the electrically powered pumps to replenish reservoirs to normal levels."
UPDATE 3/13, 2:05 PM: Hawaiian Electric is warning residents of Hawai‘i Kai and parts of East Honolulu to prepare for the possibility of an extended power outage that could last overnight or longer.
"As of 2 p.m., about 113,800 customers are without power across O‘ahu and 15,600 customers in parts of Maui County," the utility said in a statement.
"On O‘ahu, East Honolulu relies on power lines that bring electricity to the area from Windward Oʻahu. The lines run along the base of the Koʻolau range near Waimānalo and cross over the ridgeline into East Honolulu," the statement said. "Two of these transmission lines have been damaged, leaving one line to service the area. Should the storm damage the remaining line, the steep terrain and hazardous weather conditions will make it difficult for crews to safely access the area for repairs, which will delay restoration.
"In Maui County, crews are working to restore power in various areas of Maui, Lāna‘i and a pocket area in Moloka‘i.
"Hawaiian Electric's response may be delayed as crews are not able to make repairs in dangerous weather conditions. Hawaiian Electric crews and contractors have been deployed across Oʻahu, Maui County and Hawaiʻi Island to address outages as the powerful storm system is expected to make its way across the island chain throughout the weekend. All customers are urged to prepare for the possibility of extended outages."
UPDATE 3/13, 5:30 A.M.: The Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency has posted a list of open shelters by island, available here. At this time, there are four on Maui, seven on O‘ahu, none on Hawai‘i Island or Kauai, but follow that link for updates.
The 30th Annual Honolulu Festival announced that it has the cancelled its educational school tours scheduled for Friday, March 13 and to have been held at the Ala Moana Hotel from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"More than 400 students from six O‘ahu schools were planning to participate in this special field trip that would have allowed the students to engage in hands-on educational activities with cultural artisans from Japan, the Pacific Rim, and Hawai‘i," said Ted Kubo, president of the Honolulu Festival Foundation, in a statement. "Ensuring everyone can have a safe experience at the Honolulu Festival is our top priority, so canceling the Educational School Tours and having students and teachers stay home on Friday is the right decision.
“As for the remainder of the 30th Annual Honolulu Festival, we are carefully assessing the public performances, events, and activities taking place this weekend. We will continue to closely monitor the weather situation and make whatever adjustments are necessary to keep attendees, performers, and workers safe at any of the venues where the festival is taking place.”
Hawaiian Electric is reporting multiple power outages, some affecting thousands of customers, on O‘ahu, including one affecting nearly 8,000 people from Waikīkī to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Go here for outage maps for O‘ahu and Maui and Hawai‘i counties, as well as to report an outage.
National Weather Service active watches, warnings and advisories for Hawai‘i are updated here. On land, flooding and high wind watches and warnings are currently in effect statewide; as well as, at sea, gale watches and warnings.
UPDATE 5:15 P.M.: Hawai‘i County schools will also close Friday amid the impending storm.
Gov. Josh Green stated Thursday afternoon that Hawai‘i County, which was previously left out of most of the closures announced throughout the week, will also close all public and charter schools, as well as all courthouses and state offices, on Friday, March 13.
UPDATE 2:16 P.M.: Gov. Josh Green has announced that all Maui County, Kaua‘i and O‘ahu schools will be closed Friday due to the impending storm.
At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Green confirmed that all state offices and Department of Education schools — including charter schools and University of Hawai‘i campuses — will be closed March 13.
For now, UH will reopen Saturday, although all outdoor events on that day will be cancelled. Green said the Hawai‘i vs. UCLA men’s volleyball match on Saturday is still on, for the time being.
The state Legislature will also close Saturday, as will all courthouses on O‘ahu, Molokai, Maui and Lāna‘i.
All state workers will be granted administrative leave, Green said, save for emergency response workers and essential workers such as hospital workers or correctional officers.
The Department of Transportation announced that airports remain open, for now, but travelers are strongly advised to check their airlines for flight status updates, as many flights will likely be cancelled Friday. Travelers are also advised to arrive at the airport three hours in advance of any trans-Pacific flight.
Meanwhile, the City and County of Honolulu has also announced that all DMV and satellite city hall services will be closed on Friday as well. Anyone with an appointment for tomorrow can present proof of that appointment at any location to have that appointment honored next week.
The Honolulu Festival has announced that all activities planned for Saturday remain on schedule, although festival organizers are monitoring the situation and will make adjustments to the schedule as necessary.
ORIGINAL STORY: State and county authorities are advising residents to batten down the hatches as harsh weather continues through the weekend.
Thursday began with the National Weather Service issuing flash flood warnings for the entirety of O‘ahu. While the warning terminates at 11:45 a.m., a flood watch remains in effect until Saturday evening, and a high wind watch goes into effect tonight at 6 p.m. until Sunday morning.
Residents are advised to secure outdoor loose items, clear debris from gutters and storm drains and to avoid driving through flooded streets or standing water. Residents are also encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts from their county's and the state's emergency management agencies. The state Department of Transportation will track weather-related road closures on its website.
Meanwhile, several state and county facilities will be closed for residents’ safety.
The City and County of Honolulu already closed city park facilities beginning yesterday, with a reopening date yet to be determined. Also closed is the Honolulu Zoo, the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, all Honolulu botanical and community gardens and all municipal golf courses.
Scheduled performances of the Royal Hawaiian Band between today and Saturday have been cancelled, while a lei draping ceremony at Thomas Square Park that was scheduled for Friday has been postponed.
The O‘ahu Department of Emergency Management has advised that additional closures and cancellations are likely as the storm continues.
A gymnasium at ‘Ewa Mahiko District Park is closed to the public so it can be used as a shelter for the homeless.
A planned “Tourism Day” at the state Capitol on Friday has been postponed to an unspecified future date, although the Capitol itself remains open, for now.
On Kaua‘i, Polihale and Hā‘ena state parks are closed, along with all parking lots within Koke‘e State Park.
The state Department of Education announced the closure of several O‘ahu and Molokai schools today: Molokai high and middle schools, Kaunakakai Elementary, Kilohana Elementary and Maunaloa Elementary are all closed on Molokai, while Waialua High and Intermediate School and Hale‘iwa Elementary are closed on O‘ahu. The department will issue notices regarding any future closures.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
