Power Restored to Big Island After Winter Storm
Hawai‘i Electric Light Company (HELCO) service has been restored to the majority of customers impacted by last weekend’s winter storm, the utility reported at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019.
Crews replaced 16 damaged transmission poles along the highway, strung lines, and installed conductors on the new poles.
Heavy rain and mud slowed the work and about 30 customers in Waipunahina were still without power at the time of HELCO’s report.
Crews worked into the evening power was restored to remaining 30 customers in Waipunahina.
The partial lane closure of Hawai‘i Belt Road in Kalōpā between mile marker 38 and 39 will continue overnight and through Friday afternoon, Feb. 15.
One lane will be closed to allow personnel to complete repairs and remove heavy machinery, equipment and debris. Motorists are advised to drive with caution in the area and use alternate routes.
To report an outage, call (808) 969-6666. Outage notifications are posted on the company’s Twitter account @HIElectricLight with the hashtag #BigIslandOutage.