1,700 remain without power on Maui; Progress made on transmission line repairs following Lala impacts

HECO Update: 8 p.m., Aug. 18, 2026

Hawaiian Electric has released maps with estimated times of restoration for areas on Hawai‘i Island, O‘ahu and Maui for customers who remain without power following the devasting effects of Hurricane Lala. The company expects 95% of all impacted customers to be restored across the state by Friday, except for certain remote and severely damaged areas of South Hawai‘i Island. Areas of Puna, North and South Kohala and the southern part Ka‘u, Na‘alehu, Punalu‘u and Kilauea which could take at least two weeks.

Hawaiian Electric crews will once again work through the night to repair damaged infrastructure and restore power to the approximately 33,600 customers who remain without power. 

• About 86% of impacted customers are now restored
• Oʻahu customers with power still asked to conserve energy through tomorrow
• Assistance from mainland utilities has started to arrive

As of 7 p.m.:

• Hawaiʻi Island: Approximately 24,000 customers remain without power. Most of the outages are in the Puna area, North and South Kona, North and South Kohala, Hamakua, North and South Hilo, and Ka‘u. Damage assessments were completed in accessible areas of Puna and Hamakua. More than half of the transmission lines damaged by the storm have been repaired. Hamakua Energy, the island’s largest independent power producer, was reconnected to the grid. Employees from SoCal Edison began arriving in Hilo to assist with restoration efforts through Hawaiian Electric’s membership in the Western Region Mutual Assistance Group.
• Maui County: With a majority of impacted customers brought back online, crews are working through the night to restore a majority of customers in Haʻikū and Pe‘ahi as well as a pocket in East Maui. With large trees blocking access to roads currently, customers in Pi‘iholo, Olinda, Alaluana areas are asked to prepare for an overnight outage. About 1,700 remain without power. Maui had nine transmission/subtransmission lines affected by the storm and six have been restored.
• Oʻahu: Crew restored about 10,000 customers in Kāneʻohe, Kahala, Kahuku, ʻAiea, Nānākuli and Makiki today. Repairs are expected to resolve the majority of outages tomorrow. About 7,970 customers remain without power in Honolulu, Leeward and Windward areas. O’ahu had 30 transmission/subtransmission lines affected by the storm and 13 have been restored. Customers from Salt Lake to East Honolulu who do have electricity are asked to continue to conserve power through tomorrow.

Customers who are without power but see their neighbors have electricity restored should call their respective Trouble Line to report the outage:

• Hawaiʻi Island: 1-855-304-9191
• Maui County: 1-855-304-8181
• Oʻahu: 1-855-304-1212

HECO Update: 4 p.m., Aug. 18, 2026

Hawaiian Electric continues to make progress with necessary repairs to restore power to customers affected by Hurricane Lala across Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island and Maui County.

The company expects 95% of all impacted customers to be restored across the state by Friday, except for certain remote and severely damaged areas of South Hawai‘i Island. Areas of Puna, North and South Kohala and the southern part Ka‘u, Na‘alehu, Punalu‘u and Kilauea which could take at least two weeks. See estimated restoration times for areas on Hawai‘i Island, O‘ahu, and Maui currently without power.

As of 2:30 p.m.:

• Hawaiʻi Island: Approximately 24,400 customers remain without power. Most of the outages are in the Puna area, North and South Kona, North and South Kohala, Hamakua, North and South Hilo, and Ka‘u. Transmission line assessments were completed yesterday and distribution line assessments are being completed today. Damage assessments were completed in Puna and Hamakua today.
• Maui County: With a majority of impacted customers brought back online, crews are focusing today on restoring areas of Haʻikū and Pe‘ahi as well pocket outages in Upcountry, Kahului, Lahaina, and East Maui. About 1,900 remain without power. Maui had nine transmission/subtransmission lines affected by the storm and six (67%) have been restored.
• Oʻahu: Crew restored about 10,000 customers in Kāneʻohe, Kahala, Kahuku, ʻAiea, Nānākuli and Makiki today. About 10,500 customers remain without power in Honolulu, Leeward and Windward areas. O’ahu had 30 transmission/subtransmission lines affected by the storm and 13 have been restored (43%). Customers from Salt Lake to East Honolulu who do have electricity are again asked to conserve power today. Energy conservation by the public can help ensure sufficient power is available to meet demand. Suggested steps include turning off or lessening use of air conditioners, delaying hot showers, laundry, dishwashing activities, and minimizing cooking until later in the evening.

Customers who are without power but see their neighbors have electricity restored should call their respective Trouble Line to report the outage:

• Hawaiʻi Island: 1-855-304-9191
• Maui County: 1-855-304-8181
• Oʻahu: 1-855-304-1212

HECO Update: 1 p.m., Aug. 18, 2026

Hawaiian Electric continues to make progress in damage assessment and repairs to restore power to affected customers across Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island and Maui County. More than 91% of customers have power as of 11 a.m.

The company expects 95% of all impacted customers to be restored across the state by Friday, except for certain remote and severely damaged areas of South Hawai‘i Island. Areas of Puna, North and South Kohala and the southern part Ka‘u, Na‘alehu, Punalu‘u and Kilauea which could take at least two weeks. 

“Hawaiian Electric has dispatched 37 teams of engineers today on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island to assess damage and develop plans to rebuild infrastructure badly damaged by the storm and restore resilience to our grids,” HECO reports. Helicopter and drones are still being deployed on Oʻahu, Hawai‘i Island and Maui today to assist with ongoing damage assessments in remote areas with rugged terrain. Linemen from mainland partner utilities began arriving today to help expedite restoration efforts. Hawaiian Electric, which is part of the Western Region Mutual Assistance Group, requested help and crews from Southern California Edison will begin work on Thursday. 

We appreciate the public’s continued patience and acknowledge the challenges of being without power for extended periods. The company is focused on completing damage assessments so that restoration updates can be provided as soon as possible.

As of 11 a.m.:

• Hawaiʻi Island: Approximately 26,900 customers remain without power. Most of the outages are in the Puna area, North and South Kona, North and South Kohala, Hamakua, North and South Hilo, and Ka‘u. Transmission line assessments were completed yesterday and distribution line assessments are being completed today.
• Maui County: With a majority of impacted customers brought back online, crews are focusing today on restoring areas of Haʻikū and Pe‘ahi as well pocket outages in Upcountry, Kahului, Lahaina, and East Maui. About 2,100 remain without power. Maui had nine transmission/subtransmission lines affected by the storm and six (67%) have been restored.
• Oʻahu: About 11,400 customers remain without power in Honolulu, Leeward and Windward areas. O’ahu had 30 transmission/subtransmission lines affected by the storm and 13 have been restored (43%). Work is underway to repair 10 damaged poles in central Oʻahu that carry subtransmission lines. Crews are also working on reconnecting Hoʻohana Solar. This would further stabilize the electrical grid, but until work can be completed, customers from Salt Lake to East Honolulu who do have electricity are again asked to conserve power today.

Outage numbers represent a snapshot in time and change often as additional customers are restored and more outages occur, sometimes in the same area.

“Our storm restoration process emphasizes safety and essential community services. Restorations take place in a manner designed to affect areas that serve emergency facilities and the greatest number of customers first. In some cases, we need to address accessibility issues such as downed trees that need to be cut and cleared. Whenever it’s possible to safely do some of these steps in parallel, we will do so. Even if you don’t see us in your neighborhood, rest assured that we are working to restore power as quickly as possible,” HECO reports.

Customers can call the Trouble Lines to report any downed power lines, which should always be treated as energized and dangerous.

• Hawaiʻi Island: 1-855-304-9191
• Maui County: 1-855-304-8181
• Oʻahu: 1-855-304-1212

Previous report:

HECO Update: 10 a.m., Aug. 18, 2026

Hawaiian Electric made significant progress in restoring power to affected customers across Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island and Maui County overnight and are focused on completing damage assessments and additional restorations today.

Of the 60 transmission and sub-transmission lines damaged by high winds and uprooted trees during Tropical Storm Lala, 30 have been repaired. This is critical work to reconnect power generation to the island grids, but transmission lines often cross through remote areas, making access and repairs challenging. Helicopter and drones are still being deployed on Oʻahu, Hawai‘i Island and Maui today to assist with ongoing damage assessments in remote areas with rugged terrain.

Hawaiian Electric thanked everyone for their continued patience and acknowledged the challenges of being without power for extended periods. The company is focused on completing damage assessments so that restoration updates can be provided as soon as possible.

“Our storm restoration process emphasizes safety and essential community services. Restorations take place in a manner designed to affect areas that serve emergency facilities and the greatest number of customers first. In some cases, we need to address accessibility issues such as downed trees that need to be cut and cleared. Whenever it’s possible to safely do some of these steps in parallel, we will do so. Even if you don’t see us in your neighborhood, rest assured that we are working to restore power as quickly as possible,” HECO reports.

As of 7:30 a.m.:

• Hawaiʻi Island: About 10,750 customers were restored overnight. Approximately 27,700 customers remain without power. Most of the outages are in the Puna area, North and South Kona, North and South Kohala, Hamakua and South Hilo. Assessments have found extensive damage to poles on lines serving North and South Kohala. Access to Upper Puna is being hindered by vegetation in and around Hawaiian Electric lines. Tree trimmers have been called in to cut back trees and other vegetation impacted by the storm. There were 21 transmission or subtransmission lines affected by the storm and 11 of them or 52% have been repaired.
• Maui County: Overnight, crews restored power to more than half of all remaining customers. About 2,100 remain without power. Today, crews are focused on repairs in Kula, Alaluana, Olinda, Pi‘iholo, and Hā‘ikū and pocket outages in West Maui, Central and South Maui, East Maui, Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i. In Upcountry, large, downed trees are being cleared in certain areas before repairs can be made. Maui had nine transmission/sub-transmission lines affected by the storm and six (67%) have been restored.
• Oʻahu: About 27,200 customers remain without power in Honolulu, Leeward and Windward areas. O’ahu had 30 transmission/subtransmission lines affected by the storm and 13 have been restored (43%). Work is underway to repair 10 damaged poles in central Oʻahu that carry subtransmission lines. Crews are also working on reconnecting Hoʻohana Solar. This would further stabilize the electrical grid, but until work can be completed, customers from Salt Lake to East Honolulu who do have electricity are again asked to conserve power today.

Outage numbers represent a snapshot in time and change often as additional customers are restored and more outages occur, sometimes in the same area.

Customers can call the Trouble Lines to report any downed power lines, which should always be treated as energized and dangerous.

• Hawaiʻi Island: 1-855-304-9191
• Maui County: 1-855-304-8181
• Oʻahu: 1-855-304-1212