With 80 mutual aid personnel deployed Monday on Kauaʻi, there are now about 250 utility personnel working to restore power to the 18% of customers that still are without it a week after Hurricane Lowell battered the island.
Crews are focusing on the extensive North Shore restoration effort, where 0% of customers have power from Moloaa to Hā‘ena.
Based on progress to date, the Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative said it anticipates the first North Shore restorations could occur in portions of Princeville and Hanalei Wednesday. However, factors such as weather, unforeseen challenges and encountering additional damage could impact this estimate.
“Once those first restorations are made, we can better estimate a restoration timeline for the rest of the North Shore,” the cooperative said in a news release.
Crews also are working to restore electricity to the remaining pocket outages around Kauaʻi that include portions of Kapa‘a, Wailua, Līhu‘e, Po‘ipū, Kōloa, Kalāheo, Hanapēpē, Kaumakani and Waimea. Kōke‘e also remains without power.
Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative said Monday afternoon it has restored power to approximately 80 additional customers over the past 24 hours.
As of 5:30 p.m. on Monday, 6,787 of the 36,323 customers remained without power, according to the utility cooperativeʻs outage map.
The cooperative said in a news release it is utilizing its existing contractors — Premium Utility Contractor, Asplundh and Wiggins Tech — along with mutual aid partners Hawaiian Electric Company, Southern California Edison and HMS Construction to complete restoration work “as safely and quickly as possible.”
Line crews continued on Monday to repair damaged lines, poles and electrical equipment on the North Shore.
Teams have isolated a segment of the transmission line from Princeville to Wainiha, enabling crews to safely perform repairs in the impacted area while also reenergizing nearby regions where power can be safely restored.
This work is part of restoration work prompting a lane closure on the Hanalei side of the Hanalei Bridge.
More information on restoration efforts and links to additional resources are available on KIUC’s Hurricane Lowell updates webpage.
Stay away from downed utility lines and call 911 if a line is an immediate danger. Update your contact information with Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative at 808-246-4300 to get alerts.
