Hawaiian Electric is continuing its efforts to restore power to customers following recent storms that have pummeled the Islands.
In an update Monday afternoon, HECO said its crews are continuing inspections and repairs in flooded areas of O‘ahu.
By Sunday, HECO had restored power to nearly all customers impacted by back-to-back Kona Low weather systems. There were fewer than 220 customers without power across O‘ahu, Maui County and Hawai‘i Island at that time.
"However, customers should remain prepared as heavy rain, thunderstorms and flooding are causing new power outages today," the utility said Monday.
As of 5 p.m., about 130 customers, mainly in Waialua, were without power on O‘ahu; nearly 50 customers remained without power in Maui County as crews work on individual service lines; and 370 are without power on Hawai‘i Island, largely in Hilo and Puna.
"We're continuing to work on the restoration of the remaining customers," HECO spokesperson Darren Pai told Aloha State Daily early Monday afternoon, before the most recent update was issued. "We know that some of these customers have maybe been without power for a long time. ... We know it's been frustrating, very difficult for our customers, so we are trying to do the best that we can to get everybody back online."
Pai didn't have counts for this past weekend, but said during the first Kona Low storm HECO had about 350 crew members working to restore power. HECO did not have to bring in assistance from other utilities or other companies, he noted.
There is not currently a cost estimate for the damage or repairs related to the back-to-back storms, Pai says.
As for takeaways from the recent storms, Pai says, "This is a reminder for all of us in Hawai‘i that these emergencies can come with little warning, and they're not confined to certain dates on the calendar that we define as hurricane season; that we should always be prepared for, in our homes and our businesses, to respond to emergencies — make sure we have our own personal emergency response plans, we have our own emergency supplies and evacuation plans, go bags ready.
"In this instance, there were these Kona Low storms, but we face a huge range of hazards here in Hawai‘i — hurricanes, these kind of storms, volcanic eruptions. A tsunami can have very little advanced notice or time to prepare. In a way, we always have to be ready for almost anything."
The utility said Monday that in some North Shore neighborhoods, "crews have seen stains or lines on homes that show how high the floodwaters rose. This indicates areas where wiring, outlets and electrical equipment were likely submerged at some point before floodwaters receded."
For safety reasons, HECO says these customers should not turn on their main circuit breaker until they can get an electrician to confirm that the system is safe to re-energize.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
