HEI - Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.

03/16/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/16/2026 21:39

5 p.m. update: Hawaiian Electric crews make progress on Hawaii Island restorations

5 p.m. update: Hawaiian Electric crews make progress on Hawaii Island restorations

  • About 11,200 customers currently without electricity - primarily on Hawaii Island and Maui

Release Date: 3/16/2026

Download PDF

HONOLULU, March 16, 2026 - Downed lines, fallen trees, storm debris, mud and flooding, delayed Hawaiian Electric's power restoration efforts today, particularly on Maui and Hawaii Island. Crews will continue to work into the night to restore around 11,200 customers who are without electricity across Oahu, Maui County and Hawaii Island. Outage numbers fluctuated throughout the day due to unstable post-storm conditions which continue to impact electrical service in some areas.

As of 5 p.m.:

  • Oahu: About 1,000 customers are without electricity as crews continue work to restore pockets across the island. This involves making repairs to individual service lines that provide power to neighborhoods.
  • Maui County: About 4,500 customers remain out. In Upcountry Maui, crews are working into the night to possibly restore more areas of Kula as far as Keokea Place and other pockets. In Kihei, mud and debris are being cleared to inspect and make any repairs to underground facilities to restore about 600 customers. In East Maui, including pockets of Haiku, about 300 customers should continue to prepare for extended overnight outages due to ongoing damage assessments and repairs.
  • Hawaii Island: About 5,700 customers are currently without power, mostly in the Puna and Kona areas. Restoration efforts continued in Keaau, Kurtistown, Mountain View, Volcano, South Point, and North and South Kohala. Damage assessments began yesterday in accessible areas of North Kona, South Point and Puna. In the hardest hit areas, repairs and assessments are being slowed by numerous fallen trees, large branches, flooding and downed powerlines on roadways.

The community is advised to be aware of scammers who may pose as claims representatives. Hawaiian Electric will not contact customers to request personal information or direct customers to submit payment to reconnect service. For claim information, please see Rule No. 16 from the Public Utilities Commission.

Estimated restoration times may not be available until inspections are completed and any repairs are made before power can be safely restored. While weather conditions have improved, unstable trees and branches may fall and cause new outages. View our storm restoration process.

The outage numbers above represent a snapshot in time and are subject to change as stated above. Customers can view current outages and report outages on the outage map at hawaiianelectric.com and on the mobile app.

HEI - Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. published this content on March 16, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 17, 2026 at 03:40 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]