8 p.m. update: Dangerous weather conditions slow Hawaiian Electric power restoration efforts

8 p.m. update: Dangerous weather conditions slow Hawaiian Electric power restoration efforts

Customers on Hawaii Island, some on Maui will be without power overnight

- Approximately 88,030 customers are without power as of 7 p.m.
- Assistance from out of state will be brought in to assist with restoration
- Safety of public, work crews remain top priority

Release Date: 8/15/2026

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HONOLULU, Aug. 15, 2026 - Hurricane-force wind and rain is hampering Hawaiian Electric crews who have been working around the clock to restore power to customers on Hawaii Island, in Maui County and on Oahu. On Hawaii Island and Maui, customers who are currently without power will remain without electricity at least overnight. Once the weather improves, damage assessments will need to be completed and repairs made before power can be restored.

For the safety of crews and the public, restoration work has to halt when the weather gets too dangerous. On Hawaii Island, hazardous conditions on the roadways such as flooding and downed trees have also prompted the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency to ask crews to stay off the roads. Work in Maui County and on Oahu will continue until the storm gets closer to those areas and forces Hawaiian Electric personnel to take shelter.

As of 7 p.m.:

• Hawaii Island: 63,270 customers, including all of the east side and south sides of the island plus Waimea and Honokaa, are without power. Wind gusts near 90 mph have been recorded in some areas as the storm stalled over the island. On the Hamakua coast, wind-toppled trees knocked down multiple poles and structures along a 42-mile span of transmission lines, which will take time to inspect and repair once the weather improves.
• Maui County: Approximately 15,260 customers are without power, including all of West Maui, and parts of Upcountry and South Maui as well as Haiku. These customers should prepare for extended overnight outages. Extreme wind gusts, sometimes topping 80 mph, have battered West Maui for much of the day, preventing any damage assessments to start on the three transmission lines that serve the area. In Upcountry Maui, crews had to pause work where trees and large tree limbs have been falling across roadways due to the severe weather.
• Oahu: Roughly 9,500 customers don't have electricity in Aina Haina, Ewa Beach, Kaimuki, Kalihi, Mapunapuna, Manoa and Nuuanu. High winds driven by the approaching hurricane have damaged one major transmission line and half a dozen sub-transmission lines.

Hawaiian Electric, which is part of the Western Region Mutual Assistance Group, will be bringing in crews from other electric utilities to help expedite restoration. This help is anticipated to arrive as early as Tuesday.

More than 67,100 customers across the five islands Hawaiian Electric serves have had power restored today. 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 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