Noon update: Hawaiian Electric continues damage assessments, power restoration where possible

Noon update: Hawaiian Electric continues damage assessments, power restoration where possible

Customers in parts of Hawaii Island asked to prepare for extended outages

- Approximately 250,900 customers are without power as of 11 a.m.
- Initial restoration work is focused on repairing transmission lines
- Help from mainland electric utilities anticipated to arrive Tuesday
- Oahu customers asked to conserve electricity today

Release Date: 8/16/2026

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HONOLULU, Aug. 16, 2026 - More than 250,900 customers remain without power as Tropical Storm Lala continues its way south of the islands with damaging winds and heavy rainfall. Customers on Hawaii Island are being asked to prepare for extended outages in the hardest hit rural areas of the island.

The safety of our employees and the public remains our top priority. Weather permitting, damage assessments have begun as crews are on-the-ground inspecting electrical infrastructure before any repairs can be made. Aerial inspections by helicopter and drones are also taking place on Hawaii Island and Maui today and on Oahu tomorrow.

Several main transmission lines have been impacted by the storm on Hawaii Island, Maui and Oahu. Transmission lines are the backbone of our power grid, connecting power plants and other generation sources to our communities, and must be repaired first. Some of these transmission lines cross remote terrain and mountainous areas and can span miles, making repairs challenging and lengthy.

As of 11 a.m.:

• Hawaii Island: About 50,800 customers remain without power including all of the east side and south sides of the island plus Waimea and Honokaa.
• Maui County: Approximately 26,200 remain without power in parts of West Maui, areas of Upcountry, South and Central Maui, Haiku, as well as areas of Lanai and Molokai.
• Oahu: About 173,900 remain without electricity, majority in parts of Leeward Oahu and Honolulu as well as Windward Oahu. We also are asking for customers, from Salt Lake to East Oahu, with electricity to practice energy conservation until 10 p.m. to ensure we have adequate generation.

Hawaiian Electric, which is part of the Western Region Mutual Assistance Group, has requested personnel from partner electric utilities from the mainland to help expedite post-storm restoration. Roughly 100 crew members are anticipated to arrive as early as Tuesday and could begin work as soon as Wednesday.

Our priorities for restoration emphasize safety and essential community services. The restoration process begins with damage assessments and will take place in a manner designed to affect the greatest number of customers first. Emergency facilities such as hospitals, the water supply facilities, wastewater plants, military facilities, and the airports will have first priority for restoration after a storm. Be assured, though, that we remain committed to restoring service to all of our customers, and our crews will do their best to restore power as soon as possible.

More than 82,000 customers across the five islands Hawaiian Electric serves have had power restored since the onset of the storm. Outage numbers represent a snapshot in time and change often as additional customers are restored and more outages occur, sometimes in the same area.

Hawaiian Electric understands that people need to know when their power will be restored and is working to keep outage maps and social media updated with information as it becomes available. Please check our outage maps at hawaiianelectric.com or on our mobile app for the latest outage information and estimated time of restoration. If you don't see your outage on the map, you can also use this tool to report an outage in your neighborhood.

Please stay safe

• Even when winds have subsided, conditions can be dangerous. We urge customers in stormy and flooded areas to take the following safety precautions and visit hawaiianelectric.com/electricalsafety for more safety tips:
  • Stay far away from downed power lines, flooding and debris; lines could be energized and dangerous.
  • If you must travel, please help protect line workers and crews when you see them on the roadside assessing damages or making emergency repairs. Move over from the lane nearest the workers or slow down until you can safely pass the work site.

Customers can call our Trouble Lines to report any downed power lines, which should always be treated as energized and dangerous.

• Hawaii Island: 1-855-304-9191
• Maui County: 1-855-304-8181
• Oahu: 1-855-304-1212

We are committed to keeping you informed

Hawaiian Electric communicates restoration information to customers frequently through the news media, its online outage maps, and the following mobile-friendly resources:

• Hawaiian Electric website: hawaiianelectric.com
• Twitter/X: @HwnElectric; @mauielectric; @hielectriclight
• Facebook: facebook.com/HawaiianElectric
• Mobile app: free download available on Apple App and Google Play stores