5 p.m. update: Customers without power should prepare for prolonged outages, safety of public and crew remain top priority

5 p.m. update: Customers without power should prepare for prolonged outages, safety of public and crew remain top priority

• Planning, assessment and operations activities will continue 24/7

Release Date: 3/15/2026

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HONOLULU, March 15, 2026 - Widespread damage caused by the Kona Low event is hampering response efforts by Hawaiian Electric across its services areas, and customers who are currently without electricity should plan for prolonged outages into the overnight hours, and possibly days. Although crews may not be able to perform some work at night due to weather conditions or safety concerns, other planning, assessment and operations activities will continue around the clock. Outage numbers remain fluid as power may be restored to some customers and another area may experience an outage.

"The safety of the public and our crews is our top priority," said Marc Asano, Hawaiian Electric incident commander. "Restoration is expected to be a long and complex process, and we ask for the patience, understanding, and cooperation of all customers."

The storm that brought extreme flash flooding, destruction of roadways and properties across the islands has also caused extensive damage to electrical infrastructure identified by Hawaiian Electric crews today.

As of 4 p.m.:

• Oahu: Progress has been made to restore power in parts of Waipahu, Wahiawa, Ewa Beach, Hawaii Kai and Pearl City where some customers have been without electricity since Friday or Saturday. About 12,000 customers across the island remain without power due to damaged equipment either on the utility or customer side, accessibility and other issues. Crews continue to work on repairing a major transmission line that serves Windward Oahu and anticipate reopening H-3 Freeway in both directions at 6 p.m.
• Maui County: About 6,900 customers remain without power, including areas of Upcountry, South, Haiku and East Maui. In East Maui, crews have identified about 20 damaged poles and multiple spans of downed lines with inspections still occurring. In Upcountry Maui, helicopter inspections had to be stopped due to high wind conditions. However, crews identified at least 10 damaged poles in the Crater Road area and are still conducting ground inspections and repairs throughout Kula. Customers should continue preparing for possible extended outages that could last for several days due to the extensive damage and repairs currently identified and inspections still having to be completed.
• Hawaii Island: Today, crews completed repairs to two transmission lines and expect to complete repairs to a third line by tomorrow. Damage assessments and repairs are being done in the lower Puna and South Point areas. About 14,500 customers are without power, with the majority in Puna, South Point, and North and South Kona.

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. Estimated restoration times noted on the outage maps may not reflect actual times. Details will not be available until inspections are completed and any repairs are made before power can be safely restored.

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.

How we restore power following a storm

We don't restore power based on when customers report an outage, where customers live or the status of accounts. Rather, we begin with multiple locations and follow an overall plan that calls for restoring power to the largest number of customers safely and as quickly as possible.

• We start by repairing any damage to our power plants and the power lines that carry electricity from our plants to the local substations.
• We prioritize restoring power to critical facilities such as hospitals, water pumping sites, wastewater plants, military facilities, and the airports.
• At the same time, we work to return service to the largest number of customers in the shortest amount of time.
• From here, we repair the infrastructure serving smaller groups and neighborhoods, converging on the hardest hit areas until every customer's power is restored.

For more information on our power restoration steps, visit hawaiianelectric.com/safety-and-outages/storm-center/storm-restoration-process.