Significant outages in West Maui; PSPS watch in other parts of Maui

Approximately 10,000 customers in West Maui lost power Monday night. Due to current Public Safety Power Shutoff weather conditions, Hawaiian Electric advised customers to prepare for an extended outage overnight into Tuesday. Wildfire risk is also being monitored for other PSPS identified areas of Maui, including Upcountry Maui, as well as parts of Hawaiʻi Island.

An outage that began around 7 p.m. affected some parts of West Maui. Wind speeds increased to over 80 mph in parts of West Maui and humidity dropped rapidly so the determination was made to proactively turn off power to other remaining circuits in West Maui as part of the company’s Public Safety Power Shutoff program around 8:30 p.m. as a safety measure. 

About 10,000 customers in West Maui lost power and will remained out due to extreme wind gusts and rapidly plummeting humidity levels. HECO advised that power would remain off until weather subsides and crews can inspect and make any needed repairs. Customers are being asked to prepare for extended outages as a PSPS outage can last up to hours or days.

Hawaiian Electric has also initiated a PSPS watch for the South Kohala portion of Hawaiʻi Island and other PSPS identified areas of Maui, including Upcountry. A PSPS watch means that if weather conditions intensify in the next 12 to 24 hours Hawaiian Electric may proactively shut off power in communities with high exposure to wildfire risk. During this watch period, customers in these areas are urged to initiate their own emergency plans and prepare for the possibility of extended power outages.

The criteria for determining a shutoff include wind gusts 45 mph and higher, and relative humidity below 45%. The company analyzes data from weather stations and cameras near its infrastructure in high-risk areas with potential for fire spread. Wind gusts can be stronger in higher elevations than in residential areas.

For more information, call Hawaiian Electric’s PSPS hotline at 1-844-483-8666 toll-free or go to hawaiianelectric.com/PSPS. Follow Hawaiian Electric on social media or our mobile app.

PSPS Process

• Power will remain shut off so long as hazardous weather conditions persist.
• When the weather improves, power lines must be inspected, and any damage must be repaired before service can be restored. This may involve ground crews and aerial inspections using helicopters and drones.
• This process may result in extended outages lasting several hours, possibly even days depending on the location and extent of any damage.