Downed Branches Cause Outage to 1,460 on Molokaʻi

Power restored. Graphic by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

(Update: 3:56 p.m. 12/19/14)

Downed tree branches have been identified as the cause of a power outage that knocked out electricity to an estimated 1,460 customers on the east end of Molokaʻi on Friday, Dec. 19, 2014.

The outage was reported at 12:38 p.m. when tree branches came into contact with electrical lines in the area of ʻŌhiʻa on Kamehameha V Highway, according to Maui Electric Company spokesperson Kauʻi Awai Dickson.

According to Maui Electric, the majority of customers had power restored within an hour, with the remaining 400 customers being brought back online at 2:13 p.m.

Company representatives thanked the Molokaʻi community for their patience while crews worked to restore power.

On another note, company officials say there is currently a power outage affecting the 6th increment in Kahului on Maui.  The incident was reported at around 4:20 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 19, 2014.  At last report, crews were working to identify the cause and restore electrical service as quickly and safely as possible.

(Update: 2:22 p.m. 12/19/14)

Electrical service has been restored to all customers on the East End of Molokaʻi as of 2:13 pm.

(Update: 1:57 p.m. 12/19/14)

Electrical service has been restored to a part of the customers on the East End of Molokaʻi as of 1:25 p.m. Officials with Maui Electric apologized for any inconvenience the situation may have caused and thanked the public for their patience and understanding.

(Original post: 1:21 p.m. 12/19/14)

Maui Electric Company has confirmed a power outage affecting the East End of Molokaʻi. Crews are working to identify the cause and restore electrical service as quickly and safely as possible.