KAILUA-KONA — Hawaii Electric Light Co. said Thursday that power has been restored to all but 30 customers impacted by last weekend’s winter storm.
Crews replaced 16 damaged transmission poles along the Hawaii Belt Road, also known as Highway 19, strung lines, and installed conductors on the new poles that were downed Sunday amid a winter storm that lashed the Hamakua area.
Heavy rain and mud slowed work Thursday, leaving about 30 customers in Waipunahina still without power. Crews were slated to work into the evening with the hope to restore power to the remaining customers Thursday night.
The partial lane closure of Hawaii Belt Road in Kalopa, between mile markers 38 and 39, will continue overnight Thursday and through Friday afternoon. One lane will be closed to allow personnel to complete repairs and remove heavy machinery, equipment, and debris. Motorists are advised to drive with caution in the area and use alternate routes.
Amid the storm, about 45,800 customers experienced a power interruption Sunday morning due to a sudden loss of generation, also caused by the wind storm impacts, HELCO said. About 9,700 customers were directly affected by wind storm impacts on the transmission and distribution system.
To report an outage, please call (808) 969-6666.