8 a.m. update: Hawaiian Electric conducting damage assessments, power restoration

8 a.m. update: Hawaiian Electric conducting damage assessments, power restoration

Customers in parts of Hawaii Island could remain out for weeks

- Approximately 197,400 customers are without power as of 7 a.m.
- Help from mainland electric utilities anticipated to arrive Tuesday

Release Date: 8/16/2026

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HONOLULU, Aug. 16, 2026 - More than 197,000 customers remain without power as Tropical Storm Lala makes its way south of the islands, bringing destructive strong winds and heavy rainfall. Hawaiian Electric crews are beginning damage assessments in areas that are accessible on Hawaii Island, Maui and Oahu before power can be restored, and customers should prepare for extended outages lasting weeks or even months in the hardest hit rural areas of Hawaii Island.

The safety of our employees and the public remains our top priority. At the height of the storm, on Hawaii Island, the company heeded civil defense warnings and stayed off the roads. Work is resuming in areas as hazardous conditions subside. As a reminder, the public is advised to stay away from downed power lines and other utility equipment.

Restoration today will focus on damage assessments and repairs to the main transmission system to enable Hawaiian Electric to reconnect independent power producers to the Hawaii Island grid. Weather permitting, damage assessments will include on-the-ground and aerial inspections by helicopter and drones on Hawaii Island, in Maui County and on Oahu.

As of 7 a.m.:

• Hawaii Island: About 58,000 customers remain without power including all of the east side and south sides of the island plus Waimea and Honokaa
• Maui County: Approximately 28,700 remain without power in all of West Maui, parts of Upcountry, South and Central Maui, Haiku, as well as areas of Lanai and Molokai.
• Oahu: About 110,700 remain without electricity, majority in parts of Leeward Oahu and Honolulu as well as Windward Oahu.

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.

More than 63,188 customers across the five islands Hawaiian Electric serves have had power restored since the onset of the storm. However, 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, 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