About 9,500 Big Island Customers Experience Power Outages

As Hurricane Lane slowly passes Hawai‘i Island, Hawai‘i Electric Light employees are responding to power outages caused by torrential rains, strengthening winds and catastrophic flooding.

About 9,500 customers around the island experienced power outages related to heavy rain and fallen trees. Electric service has been restored to the majority of these customers.

Hawai‘i Electric Light’s emergency response team continues to closely monitor the situation. Crews are being dispatched to make repairs and restore power when it is safe to do so. Restoration efforts may be delayed due to hazardous weather and road closures.

“We’d like to remind everyone that downed power lines can be dangerous,” said Kristen Okinaka, public information officer. “It’s important to not approach or touch a downed power line as it may have electricity running through it. If you see a power line on the ground, or hanging low, please stay away and call us to report it.”

To report power outages and downed lines, call (808) 969-6666. Outage notifications will be posted on the company’s Twitter account @HIElectricLight with the hashtag #BigIslandOutage.