UPDATE: Molokai Island-Wide Outage, Power Restored

By Wendy Osher

(Update: 6:30 a.m. 3/11/12)

Power was restored to remaining residential customers on Molokai shortly before 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 10, 2012.

MECO officials thank the Molokai community for their patience as crews worked to bring customers back online.

(Posted: 7:22 p.m. 3/10/12)

A large tree brought down several power poles and electrical lines in Kualapuu, Molokai this afternoon resulting in an island-wide power outage, according to officials at Maui Electric Company.

The incident was reported at around 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, March 10, 2012.

Maui Electric crews were able to reroute power and restore electrical service to parts of the island.  At 7:22 p.m., crews were still working to bring additional customers back on-line.

“Due to the extent of the damage, some areas may remain without power until crews can resume work tomorrow at daylight,” said MECO spokesperson Kau’i Awai-Dickson.

Customers are reminded to keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed to keep food cold. As a safety precaution, open flame burners should not be used indoors. If using a generator, individuals should be sure it is properly grounded and situated in a well ventilated area outdoors. Generators should not be plugged directly into a household outlet, because the power can back-flow into the utility lines and cause injury to electrical workers.

“MECO is doing everything possible to restore power to its Molokai customers as quickly and safely as possible,” said Awai-Dickson.

An update will be provided as soon as more information becomes available.

At approximately 1:45 p.m. this afternoon (Saturday, March 10, 2012),