9 a.m. update: Hawaiian Electric continues to make progress with power restoration

9 a.m. update: Hawaiian Electric continues to make progress with power restoration

Damage assessments, transmission line repairs underway

- 117,300 customers are without power as of 7 a.m.
- Restoration progress made overnight
- Oahu customers again asked to conserve power today
- Extensive damage confirmed on Hawaii Island power transmission system

Release Date: 8/17/2026

Download PDF

HONOLULU, Aug. 17, 2026 - Hawaiian Electric made progress in restorations overnight and continue to work on repairs after initial ground and aerial assessments have shown Tropical Storm Lala has left major damage to infrastructure in remote areas of Hawaii Island and Maui. Helicopter and drones are being deployed on Oahu and Maui today to assist with ongoing damage assessments to remote areas with rugged terrain.

With the center of the storm passing 35 miles south of Hawaii Island and 75 miles south of Honolulu, wind gusts reached 91 mph in Kohala on Hawaii Island, 89 mph in West Maui and 84 mph in elevated areas on Oahu, toppling trees that took down utility poles and transmission towers. The company appreciates the continued patience as crews are working around the clock.

As of 7 a.m.:

• Hawaii Island: 39,400 customers remain without power. The majority of the outages are in the Puna area, North and South Kona, North and South Kohala, Hamakua and South Hilo. Yesterday, crews repaired three major transmission lines which is one of the first steps to rebuild the backbone of the electric grid and reconnect independent power producers to the system. Repairs and damage assessments will continue today with teams of engineers arriving from Oahu to help with restoration efforts.
• Maui County: 6,300 remain without power in areas of Kula, Haiku, Olinda and Piiholo. The Upcountry area was hit with many large downed trees that blocked access to infrastructure, brought down power lines and damaged poles. A few remaining spot outages remain on West Maui, Central and South Maui.
• Oahu: Crews restored power overnight to nearly 55,000 customers in parts of East Honolulu, Mililani and Windward areas. About 71,600 customers remain without power in Windward, Leeward and Honolulu areas. Customers from Salt Lake to East Honolulu are again asked to conserve power today.

General areas restored overnight on Oahu were:

• Halawa: 600
• Hawaii Kai, parts E. Honolulu: 9500
• Kaimuki: 5000
• Kaneohe: 5200
• Makaha: 900
• Makakilo: 200
• Mililani: 8000
• Nuuanu: 4000
• Town: 700
• Wahiawa: 10000
• Waiau: 500
• Waikiki: 1000
• Waipahu: 500

These are general locations and some customers on adjoining circuits in these areas may still be without power. Outage numbers represent a snapshot in time and are subject to change as additional customers are restored and more outages occur, sometimes in the same area.

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 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