Hawaiian Electric schedules overnight outage Thursday in North Kohala

Hawaiian Electric notifies the public about an overnight power outage this week that will affect customers in parts of North Kohala.

The outage is scheduled from 9 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday (June 26-27).

Affected communities include:

• Hāwī.
• Kapa‘au.
• Hala‘ula.
• Kohala Mountain Road between mile markers 6 and 9 and 11 and 19.

The Kohala Ranch Subdivision will not be affected.

There also will be partial road closures at various locations on Kohala Mountain Road and ‘Akoni Pule Highway.

Flaggers will be at the road closure sites to direct traffic. Motorists are advised to drive with caution when approaching and passing the work zones.

The temporary outage is necessary to allow Hawaiian Electric personnel to safely perform maintenance and upgrades for reliability, resilience and wildfire safety.

The work is being performed overnight to minimize disruptions to customers.

Customers are advised:

• Unplug sensitive equipment prior to the outage.
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed.
• Make arrangements for a backup power supply or transportation to a facility outside the affected area if you depend on medication or life support equipment.
• Information about how to prepare for a power outage is available on the Hawaiian Electric website.

Hawai‘i County Department of Water Supply recommends residents store enough water for their use for the night.

The county Water Supply Department will also set up a temporary spigot on a fire hydrant near the Ka‘auhuhu transfer station for the community’s use during the power outage.