HEI - Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.
12/07/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/07/2021 21:32
Power restoration efforts continue for affected areas on Maui
Power restoration efforts continue for affected areas on Maui
Remaining customers advised to prepare for extended outages
Release Date: 12/7/2021
KAHULUI, Dec. 7, 2021 - Hawaiian Electric crews are continuing to respond to scattered outages to restore approximately 1,500 customers in parts of Kula, Pukalani, Haiku, Maui Meadows, Wailuku, and Lahaina. While crews are working as quickly as possible and additional field crews from Oahu have joined restoration efforts to bring customers back online, restoration is taking time and all affected customers are being asked to prepare for a possible extended overnight outage.
Following the completion of repairs of the damaged transmission lines supplying power to Upcountry, South and West Maui, crews are working through hundreds of distribution and individual service line outages across the island. Such restorations can take time as each area has varying degrees of damage to electrical equipment, such as downed power lines and poles. In some cases, there is currently limited access due to fallen trees, remaining storm water and large debris.
In parts of Kula, crews continue to make repairs in various neighborhoods to multiple damaged and downed poles and numerous spans of downed lines that provide power to individual homes. Parts of Kula Highway have been restored along with critical infrastructure such as Kula Hospital as crews continue to work in different pockets of the Kula area.
In Pukalani, a pocket of customers remain without power because lines serving the area are in a gulch still containing rising storm runoff making it unsafe for crews to begin restoration to that circuit at this time.
In Haiku, crews brought customers in parts of E. Kuiaha, Lepo Street and the Haiku Community Center area back online and are addressing remaining pockets in the area.
In Maui Meadows, work is being done to restore electrical equipment used to protect the main electrical system from energy surges and overloading that can occur during and after disturbances to the system, such as the recent storm.
Crews are also addressing individual pocket outages in the Lahaina and Wailuku areas with reports of damaged power lines and other electrical equipment.
Since Sunday, an estimated 22,000 Maui customers experienced brief to extended power outages caused by gusty winds and fallen trees on the island's transmission and distribution system. Crews worked through the night in areas that were safe to access and continued with restoration efforts today to bring customers in parts of Haiku to Nahiku, Pukalani, Kihei, Paia and Lahaina back online.
Hawaiian Electric also reminds the community to stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines. Downed power lines are energized and dangerous.
Outage updates are posted on the company's Twitter account @MauiElectric. To report an outage or downed power line, please call (808) 871-7777.