HEI - Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.

03/15/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/15/2026 17:12

1 p.m. update: Field inspections, restoration efforts slowed by downed lines, fallen trees, storm debris, mud and road closures

1 p.m. update: Field inspections, restoration efforts slowed by downed lines, fallen trees, storm debris, mud and road closures

  • About 38,000 customers currently without electricity

Release Date: 3/15/2026

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HONOLULU, March 15, 2026 - As the Kona Low storm continues to impact the islands, hundreds of Hawaiian Electric employees and contractors are working as quickly and safely as possible to conduct damage assessments and restore power to customers. About 38,000 customers remain without power at this time. Downed power lines, fallen trees, storm debris and mud are causing traffic delays in some areas as well.

As of 12 p.m.:

  • Oahu: About 12,000 customers are without electricity in various locations across the island where crews are addressing recurring outages. H-3 Freeway is closed in both directions at the Halekou Interchange for repairs to a major high-voltage transmission line serving Windward Oahu.
  • Maui County: About 9,700 customers remain without power, including areas of Upcountry, South and East Maui. Today, crews are conducting ground and aerial inspections in East Maui and Kula.
  • Hawaii Island: About 16,000 customers are without power, with the majority in Puna and North and South Kona. As the weather improves, damage assessments have begun and repairs are being made to several transmission lines that were damaged by the storm.

More than 300 crewmembers are in the field doing damage assessment and making repairs. Estimated restoration times may not be available until inspections are completed and any repairs are made before power can be safely restored.

While the weather may have temporary periods of calm in some areas, the forecast calls for more rain and moderate winds throughout Sunday, with potential flash flooding on Maui and Hawaii Island.

All customers are urged to stay prepared for potential extended outages through the remainder of today into early next week as the storm continues to make its way across the state. See 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 15, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 15, 2026 at 23:12 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]