‘Trapped in their units’: Residents in this 41-story Waikiki high-rise are still waiting for power

News admin August 19, 2026 0 Comments

‘Trapped in their units’: Residents in this 41-story Waikiki high-rise are still waiting for power

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Residents of Canterbury Place on Ena Road in Waikiki have been without power and water since Sunday morning, even as nearby properties like the Hilton Hawaiian Village have been restored.

The prolonged outage comes as thousands of utility customers across the state struggle to recover from the widespread infrastructure damage and severe weather conditions brought by Tropical Storm Lala over the weekend.

Residents Richard Ervais and Zander Ross live on the 39th floor. They said a backup generator helped those in their 41-story building get through the first 33 hours of the outage. The generator powered a single elevator that allowed folks to fetch ice, deliveries, supplies, and walk their dogs.

But when the generator broke down on Monday afternoon, “we were in the dark 100% and also no more power for the elevators and that’s no more water either. So I have water in the tub that we’re using for the toilets,” Ross said.

“My dog is 30 pounds and I have to carry him 39 stories up and 39 stories down, and it’s hard for him. He gets shaky and he’s afraid,” Ross added.

As marathon runners, the pair can handle multiple flights of stairs and have been using their endurance to help neighbors who cannot make the climb and are currently trapped in their homes.

“I was running some food up to the 30th floor to an elderly couple who apparently were running out of food,” Ervais said. “There are people here who could die, and why would you want that done if something could be done? Let’s avoid that.”

Pauline Wagnon and Donna Neilson live on the 35th and 36th floors with their dogs.

“We went out to get something to eat, and when we came back, the elevators weren’t working and our babies were in our apartments,” Neilson said.

Wagnon, 79, braved the stairs to retrieve the pets but became dangerously overheated by the time she got back to the lobby.

She realized she had left her medication in her apartment, but didn’t have the strength to climb back up, prompting Ervais to volunteer to fetch them for her.

The building’s management connected a new generator Tuesday afternoon, allowing residents to use one elevator again.

Residents said they are outraged that Hawaiian Electric has failed to communicate with them about when restoration will happen.

“HECO has been contacted no less than nine times and each time provide ‘you are on the list, be patient,” Canterbury Place general manager Peggy LeBeau wrote in an email to Hawaii News Now. “This after we had pets die, medication spoil, owners with heat stroke, and owners trapped in their units.”

“Power was restored to ALL the neighboring buildings, but not to us. We have a HECO substation in our building that controls all our power. HECO came to the substation Tuesday at 6:30 a.m., then left without resetting our building or speaking to anyone. When we tried to get any information we were told we have to wait and be patient,” LeBeau added.

“From any floor, we can see all of the buildings that they do have power and we pay nearly $4,000 in expenses monthly. That’s really hard, for nothing,” Ross said.

“It’s very odd to me that the Hilton had power up right away. They were the first ones, and okay, I guess money talks,” Ervais said.

Residents say they understand that many people across the islands are feeling the impacts of Lala and hope they don’t get forgotten.