Local News

Hawaiian Electric: About 570 Maui customers remain without power

Hawaiian Electric reported Wednesday night that it has yet to restore power to about 570 customers in Maui County.

Hawaiian Electric said that service has been restored to about 98% of affected customers on Maui following Tropical Storm Lala.

Crews are working to restore small pocket outages and individual service lines in the Upcountry, Haiku, Peahi and East Maui areas. The figures included an outage in Kihei that was unrelated to the storm.

Hawaiian Electric still has to restore service for about 14,400 customers on Hawaii Island and 2,600 customers on Oahu.

The company also released maps with estimated times of restoration for areas on Hawaii Island, Oahu and Maui that remain without power. For Kau on Hawaii Island, one of the places hardest hit by the storm, Hawaiian Electric expects to have 95% of affected customers' power restored by Sept. 8.

Hawaiian Electric said any Maui County customers who are without power but see their neighbors have electricity should call 1-855-304-8181.

For people who might be using a portable generator, Hawaiian Electric is urging them to ensure it is placed in a well-ventilated area outside the home and be sure to carefully follow all instructions in the manufacturer's manual.

According to Hawaiian Electric, a lot of misinformation has been circulating about filing a claim after a power outage.

The company said misinformation has circulated about claims for losses caused by power outages. Under state law, Hawaiian Electric said it is not liable for losses "caused by accident, storm, fire, strikes, riots, war, public safety power shutoff or any cause not within the company's control through the exercise of reasonable diligence and care." Such losses may include spoiled food and refrigerated medication.