Hawaiian Electric preps for potential impacts from Mauna Loa eruption

The Big Island’s electric utility is making plans for potential impacts from the ongoing eruption of Mauna Loa.

Hawaiian Electric activated its Incident Management Team and is working closely with Hawai‘i County Civil Defense, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and other agencies to monitor and evaluate the lava flows.

“We want to assure the community that we’re ready and able to respond,” said Hawaiian Electric spokeswoman Kristen Okinaka. “Because of the unpredictable nature of the flows, we’re developing several plans to keep power on and will put into action the plan that best fits the situation. The safety of employees and community is our top priority.”

Plans include, but are not limited to:

• Rerouting power if lava impacts transmission lines on Saddle Road.
• Completing critical maintenance work.
• Ensuring sufficient fuel supply for company-owned facilities and vehicles.
• Assessing alternate driving routes for outage response.
• Staging areas for vehicles and equipment.

The company will provide more specific information about how customers could be impacted if the flow nears its facilities. As with any natural disaster, the community is encouraged to be prepared for possible power outages and follow the advice of Civil Defense and first responders.

Hawaiian Electric’s free “Handbook for Emergency Preparedness” is available in English, Cantonese, Ilocano, Korean and Vietnamese. The handbook includes detailed information about preparing for emergency situations and is available on the Hawaiian Electric website and at public libraries, Ace Hardware, Ben Franklin and Sunshine True Value Hardware.

To request a handbook by mail, call 808-969-0137.

Updates will be provided to the community and also posted on Hawaiian Electric’s website, Twitter and Facebook accounts.