Hundreds on Moloka’i Face Extended Power Outage

***NOTE: Due to power outages in the area, Kilohana Elementary will remain closed tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 14 . The campus currently has no electricity.***

Maui Electric crews are currently working to restore 300 customers in the Kaluakoi area of Moloka‘i this evening (Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018) after gusty winds and heavy rains from Tropical Storm Olivia left them without power on Wednesday.

After making damage assessments this morning, crews are now in the area making repairs to damaged electrical equipment at this time; however, due to the nature of the repair work needing to be done, these affected customers should still prepare for possible overnight outages.

On the East End of Moloka‘i, about 400 customers are being asked to prepare for an extended overnight outage this evening through tomorrow, Sept. 14. Due to the severe weather conditions that caused heavy rains, the grounds are currently saturated, causing additional trees to come down onto utility poles and bringing down more power lines today. Moloka‘i crews, along with additional workers from Maui, are continuing to make repairs tonight. However, due to the extensive damages and repair work involved, full restorations cannot be completed by this evening.

“Olivia dealt a devastating blow to Moloka‘i and we know everyone who was affected wants life and business to return to normal as soon as possible,” said Sharon Suzuki, president of Maui Electric. “We have deployed additional crews and resources and we won’t stop working until every customer’s electricity is back on.”

Should customers experience an outage or encounter downed power lines, please report them to Maui Electric’s trouble line at 871-7777 on Maui or toll-free for Lānaʻi or Molokaʻi at 1-877-871-8461.