Hawaiian Electric crews perform inspections on infrastructure ahead of severe weather this weekend

With forecasts for the weekend indicating severe weather, including possible thunderstorms and strong winds, Hawaiian Electric is closely monitoring conditions and preparing to respond to any damage to the electric system and restore any power outages.

Additional crews will be scheduled to repair any damage, clear fallen trees or vegetation, and restore power.

“We urge our customers to complete their preparations and make safety their highest priority,” said Jim Alberts, senior vice president and chief operations officer. “And we thank our customers in advance for their patience. We understand many families may have parties and events scheduled this weekend. Please know that we’ll be out in force as soon as it’s safe to work.”

With the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl scheduled this weekend, crews are proactively performing additional inspections on the lines and infrastructure that serve broadcast facilities. This is a standard practice that Hawaiian Electric follows every year for the broadcast of the Super Bowl.

Fallen tree branches or vegetation blown about by strong winds are the most common causes of power outages during severe weather. An outage may occur when vegetation falls or contacts power lines. This may happen higher in mountainous areas or deep in valleys, where winds and rainfall can be stronger and may not be visible in residential and commercial areas.

In addition, heavy rainfall may create flooding that poses a risk of outages. During these conditions, water may seep underground and contact underground power lines, which can cause outages.

Customers are urged to review family and business emergency plans, check their supplies, and keep a close eye on weather forecasts.

According to Hawaiian Electric, crews do not restore power based on when customers report an outage, where customers live, or the status of accounts. They will assess multiple locations and follow an overall plan that calls for restoring power to the largest number of customers as safely and quickly as possible.

Restoring power will often follow this order:

• Repairing any damage to power plants and the power lines that carry electricity from plants to the local substations;
• Prioritizing restoring power to critical facilities such as hospitals, water-pumping sites, wastewater plants, military facilities, and airports;
• Returning service to the largest number of customers in the shortest time;
• Repairing the infrastructure serving smaller groups and neighborhoods, converging on the hardest-hit areas until every customer’s power is restored.

Visit hawaiianelectric.com/stormcenter for preparation and safety tips.