HECO Hawaiian Electric said Friday it had restored power to most customers impacted by the recent kona low storm.
Crews completed repairs and restored power to 392 customers in Ahualoa and 245 customers in the Waipio Valley Road-Honokaa area Friday. Power to the remaining few customers without electricity in Waipio Valley was expected to be restored late Friday or Saturday.
An estimated 40,000 customers lost power during the height of the storm Sunday and Monday. Since early Monday, crews from Hilo, Waimea and Kona have been working around the clock to repair storm damage caused by gusty winds and fallen trees. On Thursday, crews from O‘ahu and Maui arrived to assist with restoration efforts, tough the utility admitted over 650 might be in the dark through Christmas and into early next week.
“Crews are nearing completion of repairs earlier than expected with the help of 19 linemen from Oahu and Maui and the support of many employees working in the background,” said Kristen Okinaka, Hawaiian Electric spokesperson. “We sincerely thank our communities and our customers for their patience and understanding throughout this restoration process. We’re also grateful to Mayor Mitch Roth and the County of Hawaii employees who worked tirelessly to clear roadways so we could safely restore electric service before the holidays.”
Hawaii County said it cleared and opened all roadways known to be affected by the weather system that impacted various areas of Hawaii Island. Over a dozen roads were at least partially closed due to the weather, and crews worked around the clock to clear and return access to them, officials said Friday.
An emergency shelter at the Honokaa Sports Complex was closed Friday evening.
“The fact that hundreds of folks can be without power for days, and yet no one needed to take advantage of our shelter is a true reflection of this community’s aloha and their willingness to help each other out through thick and thin,” said Maurice Messina, Director of Parks and Recreation.
Additionally, Hawaii County said it “partnered” with Alii Ice to deliver pallets of ice for residents experiencing loss of refrigeration on Friday.
“We’re humbled to be able to work alongside such great public servants that have gone above and beyond to restore our roadways and utilities ahead of the Christmas weekend,” said Mayor Mitch Roth. “There are so many families that can sleep easier tonight, knowing that they have access to other homes, power, and other basic needs. It’s one thing to identify an issue and it’s another to act swiftly to meet the needs of that issue — fortunately, thanks to the help of the community, HELCO, Alii Ice, American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, other community partners, and our staff, we’ve been able to do both.”
The Waipio Valley Road remains closed to all traffic except for Waipio Valley residents and farmers.
Residents impacted by the weather system are asked to fill out the Civil Defenses Damage Assessment: https://arcg.is/1b8CS1
Any customer still without power should call the company’s Trouble Line at (808) 969-6666. Some customers must repair damage to their property before service can safely be restored.
