The Maui News

About 12,400 West Maui customers remain without power, as Hawaiian Electric crews assess additional damage due to the wildfire and work to repair multiple downed poles and spans of power lines, the company said Wednesday afternoon.

“We are all hands on deck in supporting and responding to Maui communities affected by the outages, active wildfires, and sustained high wind damage,” Hawaiian Electric spokesperson Shayna Decker said. “Our focus right now is the safety of our communities, customers and workforce and prioritizing power restoration to areas that our crews can safely access. We continue to actively monitor the fluid wildfire situation and will move our restoration efforts to other areas if and as they become safe and accessible. We appreciate the continued understanding and ask customers to please prepare for possible extended outages as we conduct damage assessments and make extensive repairs.”

Additional crews from Oahu have been deployed to assist with massive restoration efforts, and the company’s Incident Management Team continues to coordinate closely with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and other emergency response organizations, a news release said.

In the Upcountry area, crews restored parts of Kula to Kanaio Wednesday morning and are currently making repairs to more than 30 spans of downed power lines to bring remaining customers back online in the Olinda-Piiholo area and other pocket areas around Kula Highway.

Members of the public should assume that downed power lines are energized and dangerous. Stay away from downed power lines — at least 30 feet or more (at least two car lengths). Report downed lines immediately by calling Hawaiian Electric’s Trouble Line at (808) 871-7777.

Updates are also available at www.hawaiianelectric.com.

West Maui and Upcountry residents are also dealing with intermittent phone and internet service outages, Hawaiian Telcom said Wednesday. Affected areas include Lahaina, Napili, Kaanapali, Kula and Makawao. The company said it is coordinating with emergency response officials to begin assessments and repairs when the all-clear is given. It is procuring supplies as well as vehicles and lodging on Maui and preparing to send crews from other islands.

Customers are encouraged to keep nonessential calls to a minimum to ensure that lines can remain open for emergency purposes. The 911 system is operational, however, customers whose phone service is impacted may not be able to connect and may need to try and text 911 using a mobile phone, Hawaiian Telcom said.

To report fallen utility poles or cables, or to contact the customer support team, call (808) 643-6111 or visit hawaiiantel.com/supportform.