Hawaiian Electric urges customers to prepare for stormy weather, cold front impacts
With heavy rains and strong winds expected this week, Hawaiian Electric is closely monitoring weather forecasts and urges customers to check their emergency preparations and prepare for the possibility of power outages.
According to the National Weather Service forecast, a potent winter low pressure system will develop west of the islands Wednesday night, pass by just north of Kauaʻi on Thursday, then drag a cold front eastward across the islands Thursday night and Friday. This system will bring a threat of flash flooding, damaging southerly winds, and strong to severe thunderstorms Wednesday night through Friday, according to the NWS.
HECO urges electric customers to review family and business emergency plans, ensure they have supplies they need on hand, and keep close watch on the development of the storm. Preparation and safety tips are available at hawaiianelectric.com/stormcenter. Detailed tips also may be found in a free Handbook for Emergency Preparedness, which can be downloaded from at hawaiianelectric.com/prepare. It is available in English, Cantonese, Ilocano, Korean, and Vietnamese languages, as well as a version for children.
How you can prepare
HECO offers the following safety tips and storm preparation suggestions:
- Check emergency equipment such as flashlights, emergency generators, battery-operated (hand-crank or solar) radios, light sticks, and lanterns to be sure they are operational, and buy extra batteries.
- Make sure you have a battery-powered radio on hand to listen for updates on the weather conditions.
- If someone in your home is dependent on electrically powered, life-sustaining medical equipment, check backup facilities. Plan where to go if an evacuation is ordered. If you need to go to the hospital or other emergency shelter, remember to take your medical equipment and medications with you to the facility.
- If you plan to use a portable generator, make sure it is placed in a well-ventilated area outside the home, and be sure to carefully follow all instructions in the manufacturer’s manual.
- Turn your refrigerator and freezer to their coldest settings. If power goes out, this will keep food fresher longer.
- Turn off and unplug any unnecessary electrical equipment, especially sensitive electronics. If an outage occurs, this will prevent damage to the equipment from surges when power is restored.
- Don’t venture out in the dark, because you might not see a downed power line that could be energized and dangerous; avoid standing water and debris.
- If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and dangerous. Stay at least 30 feet or more away from all power lines. Warn others to stay away. For emergency assistance call 911.
The Hawaiian Electric Trouble Line can be reached at the following numbers:
- Maui: 808-871-7777
- Molokaʻi: 1-877-871-8461
- Oʻahu: 1-855-304-1212
- Hawaiʻi: 808-969-6666
How HECO restores power after a storm
After addressing public safety, critical emergency facilities such as hospitals, the Board of Water Supply pumping sites, wastewater plants, military facilities, and the airports have first priority for restoration. The following summarizes how HECO restores power following an outage. Some steps will be done in parallel when it is safe to do so:
- Start by addressing any immediate potential hazards and safety issues. For example, actions include ensuring no energized wires or equipment could come into contact with the public.
- Damage assessment personnel will assess the extent of damage and any materials/equipment requirements such as poles, transformers and power lines that may need to be repaired or replaced. They also will address accessibility issues including tree trimming, making trails and/or helicopter landing/staging pads, debris removal, draining flooded underground systems, etc.
- Repair major infrastructure such as substations, transmission lines, and power plants so electricity can be generated and delivered as quickly as possible. These must be repaired before other parts of the system can work as they serve as the backbone of the electric system.
- From here, repair poles, equipment, distribution lines and/or underground cables in affected neighborhoods with groups of customers incrementally restored by transferring them to alternate circuits (a process called “switching”), and then repair individual service lines so remaining customers in affected areas can be restored. The system will be restored back to its normal condition by switching customers back to their normal circuits.